What role will VVS Laxman have at the Asian Games 2026?

VVS Laxman will coach the Indian men's cricket team at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.

Why is Gautam Gambhir not coaching the team at the Asian Games?

Gautam Gambhir will not be available for the Asian Games as he will be involved with the ODI team at home for a series against West Indies.

How did India perform in cricket at the previous Asian Games?

In the previous Asian Games held in 2022 in Hangzhou, China, the Indian men's cricket team won the gold medal under the coaching of VVS Laxman.

VVS Laxman to coach Indian men's team at Asian Games 2026

VVS Laxman had also coached the Indian men’s team at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China

Updated on: Sep 3, 2026, 16:08:48 IST

Written by Aratrick Mondal

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Director of Cricket at the BCCI's Centre of Excellence (CoE), VVS Laxman, will take charge of the Indian men's team at the upcoming Asian Games, which will be held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, later this month. Amol Muzumdar will continue as the head coach of the Indian women’s team.

BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) head VVS Laxman at a press conference during a guided tour of the BCCI Centre of Excellence (HT_PRINT)

This will be the second time Laxman has served as coach of the Indian men's team at the Asian Games, following his involvement in 2022, in Hangzhou, China, when the nation won the gold medal.

Laxman will have Sunil Joshi, Hrishikesh Kanitkar and Subhadeep Ghosh as his support coaches during the Asiad, according to the release by the Sports Ministry.

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Regular Indian men's team coach Gautam Gambhir will not be available for the trip to Japan, as he will be with the ODI team at home for the series against West Indies, which begins on September 27.

The cricket tournament at the Asian Games will begin on September 17. The men's event will get underway a week later, on September 24, with India to play their first match on September 28.

Muzumdar will continue as the women's team head coach for the Asian Games, and will be assisted by bowling coach Aavishkar Salvi and fielding coach Munish Bali. The women's event will get underway on September 17, with India, defending champions, to take on Japan in the quarters.

In cricket, India will defend its men's T20 Asian Games title under captain Shreyas Iyer, with teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi also part of the squad. The Indian women's team will also defend its title and will be led by Harmanpreet Kaur.

Indian cricket teams at Asian Games 2026:

Indian men's cricket team: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.

Indian women's cricket team: Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Pratika Rawal, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh, Gunalan Kamalini, Bharti Fulmali, Sree Charani, Renuka Thakur, Kranti Gaud, Arundhati Reddy, Shreyanka Patil, Radha Yadav, Nandani Sharma.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Aratrick Mondal
Aratrick Mondal is a senior sports journalist based in New Delhi. In his eight years as a sports writer, Aratrick has worked at leading media organisations, including The Times of India, Times Now, Zee, India TV and currently works at a senior position at Hindustan Times Digital. He writes on cricket, football, pickleball and tennis, among other sports. He has extensively covered India's evolving cricket landscape, the country's new-found love for private leagues such as Indian Pickleball League (IPBL), Ultimate Kho Kho League (UKK), Rugby Premier League (RPL) and several tennis leagues. He has closely covered emerging sports such as pickleball. His coverage of major franchise events lends an atmospheric flavor to his ground reports. His recent story on how SA20 (the domestic cricket league of South Africa) had opened up its grounds to create a carnival-like fan experience garnered major international attention, including appreciation from major cricketers. Tennis holds a special place in his heart. Aratrick has built a strong niche in analytical tennis stories—ranging from Grand Slam narratives and player profiles to tactical breakdowns and ranking trends. His long-form features often decode grand slams, career highs and lows of tennis greats and the upward trajectory of emerging stars. He also closely follows India's tennis landscape, having covered the Davis Cup, Bengaluru Open and Tata Open, among others. His reporting is backed by strong data capabilities, with hands-on experience using tools like Python, Tableau, and Excel to produce visually rich, insight-led stories. This data-first approach enhances accuracy, transparency, and trust. In leadership roles, he has managed editorial shifts, overseen homepage strategy, optimised SEO workflows, and mentored peers to deliver consistent, high-traffic journalism. He recently won the HT DigiStar award for the third quarter of financial year 2025-26. Aratrick is trusted for his balanced reportage, sound sourcing, and ability to translate complex sporting events into engaging narratives that speak to a wide audience. He believes sports is for everyone, not just for the enthusiasts and has a unique ability to bring people together - just like the sumptuous meals you'll often find him cooking on a weekend evening.Read More

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