New Delhi, September 3, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Former India cricketer and Centre of Excellence (CoE) head VVS Laxman will serve as head coach of the Indian men’s cricket team at the upcoming Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports confirmed on Thursday.
The confirmation came as the Ministry announced India’s 768-member contingent for the Asian Games, comprising 503 athletes, 246 team officials and support staff, and 19 contingent staff.
Laxman will take charge of the men’s team as regular head coach Gautam Gambhir is rested ahead of India’s white-ball series against the West Indies, beginning September 27.
According to the Ministry’s release, Laxman will be assisted by Sunil Joshi, Hrishikesh Kanitkar and Subhadeep Ghosh. Amol Muzumdar will head the coaching staff of the Indian women’s team at the Games.
Laxman most recently oversaw the Indian team during its T20I series against Zimbabwe in July, when Gambhir was rested following the white-ball series against England.
Both the Indian men’s and women’s teams enter the Asian Games as defending champions after winning gold at the 2022 Hangzhou Games. Ruturaj Gaikwad led India’s largely second-string men’s side to the gold medal, while Harmanpreet Kaur guided the women’s team to the top prize.
Meanwhile, accommodation arrangements for the cricket teams at the upcoming Asian Games have come under scrutiny amid reports of concerns over facilities and room sizes.
Naoki Alex Miyaji, CEO of the Japan Cricket Association (JCA), told IANS that participating cricket teams are being offered hotel accommodation despite limited accommodation capacity in the host region.
Concerns emerged last week after several leading Asian teams reportedly questioned the facilities and arrangements for the men’s and women’s T20 events, scheduled from September 19 to October 3.
Miyaji said the Asian Games cricket event is being organised by the organising committee, AINAGOC, in collaboration with the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) under the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), with the JCA providing support in certain areas.
He said the organisers had only 17 months to prepare for the cricket competition and had to start from scratch as there were no cricket venues of the required standard in Aichi Prefecture.
Miyaji said AINAGOC and the ACC had worked together to ensure suitable playing facilities and had been discussing accommodation options for a long time.
He added that participating cricket teams were being offered hotel accommodation, while athletes from several other sports were being accommodated in more limited facilities, including cruise ships and container hotels. Teams, he said, were also free to make their own accommodation arrangements if they preferred.
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