VVS Laxman returns as India coach for Asian Games

VVS Laxman will coach India’s men’s cricket team at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, with Gautam Gambhir staying back for the West Indies series. Laxman will be assisted by three coaches, while Amol Muzumdar will lead the women’s team

New Delhi: Head of the Centre of Excellence (CoE) VVS Laxman will serve as the head coach of the Indian men’s cricket team for the upcoming Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya.

The development was confirmed by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports as it confirmed the 768-member Indian contingent for the Asian Games, which will be comprised of 503 athletes, 246 team officials/ supporting staff, and 19 contingent staff.

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Laxman will oversee the men’s team as regular head coach Gautam Gambhir gets a rest ahead of the West Indies white-ball series, which will get underway on September 27. As per the Ministry’s release, Sunil Joshi, Hrishikesh Kanitkar, and Subhadeep Ghosh will join Laxman, while Amol Muzumdar will spearhead the women’s team for the Asiad.

Laxman recently oversaw the Indian team during the T20I series against Zimbabwe in July. This followed Gambhir being rested after the white-ball series against England.

The Indian men’s and women’s teams enter the Asian Games as defending champions, having won the title at the 2022 Hangzhou Games. Ruturaj Gaikwad led the largely second-string Indian side to gold at the Asiad, while Harmanpreet Kaur guided the Women in Blue to gold in the women’s competition.

Meanwhile, accommodation for the upcoming Asian Games has been in the news. According to Naoki Alex Miyaji, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Japan Cricket Association (JCA), participating teams in the Asian Games cricket event are being offered hotel accommodation despite limited room shortages across the host region.

Concerns over the teams’ accommodation emerged last week after several top Asian teams questioned the facilities and arrangements, especially the room sizes, for the men’s and women’s T20 event, scheduled to run from September 19 to October 3.

“The Asian Games is being organised by the organising committee (AINAGOC) in collaboration with the ACC under the OCA. The JCA has provided support in some areas but is not directly involved with it. What I can say is that all parties are working hard to ensure the success of Cricket in the AGs.

“They only had 17 months to prepare and had to start from scratch, as there were no Cricket venues of any standard in Aichi Prefecture. Considering the limited time and resources available, ANIAGOC and ACC have worked together to ensure that the playing facilities are suitable.

“I can also assure you that the ACC have been discussing accommodation options with AINAGOC for a long time. The participating teams in Cricket are being offered hotel accommodation. Many other sports are being accommodated in much more limited facilities such as cruise ships or container hotels. The teams are free to arrange their own accommodation if they choose to do so,” Miyaji said in a conversation with IANS on Wednesday.