India’s men’s cricket team has a familiar face returning to the coach’s role. VVS Laxman, Director of Cricket at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence, will serve as head coach for the Indian men’s team at the Asian Games 2026, held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. The Sports Ministry confirmed this appointment as part of its official list of coaches and support staff for the Games.
This isn’t new territory for Laxman. He previously guided India’s men’s team to a gold medal at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. Now, he steps back into the role at a moment when India’s cricketing calendar has thrown up a scheduling clash, one that has pulled regular head coach Gautam Gambhir in a different direction entirely.
Quick Facts: VVS Laxman’s Asian Games 2026 Coaching Role
- New role: Head coach, India men’s cricket team, Asian Games 2026
- Current position: Director of Cricket, BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE)
- Venue: Aichi-Nagoya, Japan
- Support staff: Sunil Joshi (bowling coach), Hrishikesh Kanitkar (batting coach), Subhadeep Ghosh
- Team leader of support staff: Maroof Fajandar
- Reason for change: Schedule clash with India’s home ODI series against the West Indies
- Regular coach Gautam Gambhir: Staying with the senior team for the West Indies series
- India men’s captain: Shreyas Iyer
- India men’s vice-captain: Tilak Varma
- Previous Laxman success: Coached India to gold at the 2023 Asian Games, Hangzhou
Why Is VVS Laxman Taking Over as Coach?
The reason behind this coaching change comes down to a straightforward scheduling conflict. India’s three-match ODI series against the West Indies begins on September 27, 2026, running almost exactly alongside the Asian Games cricket competition, which gets underway on September 24. Since both events fall in the same window, the BCCI needed two separate coaching setups for two separate squads.
Given this clash, the BCCI decided that Gautam Gambhir would stay in India to lead the senior team through the West Indies series. Meanwhile, VVS Laxman would travel to Japan and take charge of the squad competing at the Asian Games. This isn’t the first time Laxman has stepped into this kind of interim coaching role. In recent years, he has also coached India’s team during assignments involving Zimbabwe, Ireland, and South Africa, often stepping in whenever the regular setup faced similar scheduling pressures.
Laxman’s Coaching Support Staff
Laxman won’t be working alone in Japan. The Sports Ministry’s official list confirms three experienced names alongside him: Sunil Joshi, a former Indian spin bowler and national selector, will serve as bowling coach, while Hrishikesh Kanitkar, a former Indian batsman with a strong record coaching at the Under-19 level, will take on the batting coach role. Subhadeep Ghosh rounds out the core coaching staff.
Beyond the coaching team itself, Maroof Fajandar has been named team leader of the support staff, a role responsible for coordinating the squad’s broader logistical and administrative needs during the tournament. According to reports, India’s Asian Games contingent will field the second-largest support staff of any sport at the Games, trailing only athletics in terms of team size.
VVS Laxman’s Asian Games 2026 Coaching Setup at a Glance
| Role | Name |
|---|---|
| Head Coach | VVS Laxman |
| Bowling Coach | Sunil Joshi |
| Batting Coach | Hrishikesh Kanitkar |
| Support Staff | Subhadeep Ghosh |
| Team Leader (Support Staff) | Maroof Fajandar |
| Regular Head Coach (staying in India) | Gautam Gambhir |
Meet India’s Men’s Cricket Squad for the Asian Games
Shreyas Iyer will captain India’s men’s team at the tournament, with Tilak Varma serving as his deputy. The squad brings together a strong mix of established internationals and rising talent, including Jasprit Bumrah, Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, and young batting talent Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
This squad carries real pressure, too, since India heads into the tournament as the defending gold medallist in men’s cricket. Winning gold again in Japan would mark back-to-back Asian Games titles for the Indian men’s team, extending the successful run Laxman helped establish back in 2023.
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Tournament Format and India’s Path to the Quarter-Finals
India has already secured direct qualification to the quarter-finals of the Asian Games 2026 cricket competition, joining Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh in bypassing the group stage entirely. This head start reflects the strength of these four cricketing nations relative to the rest of the field.
The remaining teams, meanwhile, must work their way through group-stage competition first. Group A features Afghanistan, Japan, and Nepal, while Group B includes Hong Kong, China, Malaysia, and Oman. The top two finishers from each group will then advance to join India and the other three seeded teams in the quarter-final stage, setting up the knockout rounds that follow.
What This Means for India’s Gold Medal Defence
India enters the Asian Games 2026 cricket competition as the reigning men’s gold medal holder, having triumphed at the 2023 edition in Hangzhou under Laxman’s coaching. With Laxman back in charge and a squad blending experienced campaigners with emerging talent, India will look to defend that title on Japanese soil.
At the same time, the coaching arrangement highlights just how packed India’s international cricket calendar has become. Running two separate squads under two separate coaching setups, one for a major multi-sport event and another for a bilateral series, reflects the increasingly complex scheduling challenges facing the BCCI as it balances commitments across formats and competitions.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
About the Coaching Appointment
VVS Laxman, Director of Cricket at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence, will serve as head coach for India’s men’s team at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
Gambhir is staying in India to coach the senior team during its home ODI series against the West Indies, which overlaps with the Asian Games cricket schedule.
Yes. He coached India’s men’s team to a gold medal at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.
Sunil Joshi will serve as bowling coach, Hrishikesh Kanitkar as batting coach, and Subhadeep Ghosh will round out the coaching staff, with Maroof Fajandar as team leader of the support staff.
Shreyas Iyer will captain the side, with Tilak Varma serving as vice-captain.
Tournament Details and Broader Context
The competition takes place in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, with the tournament getting underway on September 24, 2026.
Yes. India has secured direct qualification to the quarter-finals, along with Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh, bypassing the group stage.
Group A includes Afghanistan, Japan, and Nepal, while Group B includes Hong Kong, China, Malaysia, and Oman. The top two teams from each group advance to the quarter-finals.
Yes. India won the men’s cricket gold medal at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, and will look to defend that title in 2026.
Yes. Besides the 2023 Asian Games, Laxman has previously stepped in as India’s interim head coach for assignments involving Zimbabwe, Ireland, and South Africa in recent years.
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