Published on: Sep 4, 2026 4:52 pm IST|Updated on: Sep 4, 2026 4:52 pm IST
VVS Laxman, the former Indian batter, has been appointed coach of Team India for the Asian Games 2026. Team India will enter as the reigning champions in the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, but won’t have their regular head coach, Gautam Gambhir, for the tournament. In Gambhir’s absence, VVS Laxman will take up the role, as he did in the last edition of the Asian Games in 2023.
This decision is not due to any performance issues or sudden management changes. Rather, it comes down to a simple scheduling conflict between two major cricket assignments.
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The 2026 Asian Games will get underway from September 19 and last till October 4. The Cricket event in the games will largely take place at the end of September and early October. During this exact window, Team India is also hosting the West Indies for a three-match One Day International (ODI) series starting on September 27.
Since Gautam Gambhir is the all-format head coach for the senior team, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) decided to keep him focused on the home ODI series. Managing the senior side during an international bilateral series takes top priority for the main coaching setup. As a result, a separate, highly capable coaching team had to be put together for the Asian Games.
This isn’t the first time VVS Laxman has taken over the Indian team’s head coach role. He has done the same in the past on various occasions and even coached the side in the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, when Team India finished as the Gold medalists. In fact, Laxman has frequently served as Team India’s stand-in head coach during short tours and multi-sport events when regular staff members were rested or unavailable.
For the 2026 campaign in Japan, Laxman will be supported by a strong backroom staff that includes former Indian cricketer Sunil Joshi, Hrishikesh Kanitkar, and fielding coach Subhadeep Ghosh.
Because the main coaching unit cannot be in two places at once, split coaching arrangements have become a practical necessity for Indian cricket. With two distinct international commitments running side by side, dividing responsibilities ensures both teams receive world-class guidance.
The Indian squad for the Asian Games, led by skipper Shreyas Iyer with Tilak Varma as vice-captain, features an exciting blend of experienced international players and emerging domestic talent. Stars like Jasprit Bumrah, Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, and Ishan Kishan are joined by young prodigies like Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
However, there are rumors that the final squad will see some changes as some of the regulars and seniors may get rested. As of now, here’s how the 15-man Indian squad stands to defend their Gold medal at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
Shreyas Iyer (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Ishan Kishan (WK), Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma (VC), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.