VVS Laxman to be India’s head coach for Zimbabwe tour and 2026 Asian Games, no Gautam Gambhir

Amid a jam-packed cricketing calendar, the Board of Control for Cricket in India has decided to send VVS Laxman with the senior Indian men’s team as the head coach for the upcoming tour of Zimbabwe as well as the 2026 Asian Games to be held in Japan. Gautam Gambhir will not be a part of the coaching staff for the aforementioned assignments for the Men in Blue.

The schedule of the Asian Games has seen an overlap with India’s home series against the West Indies, beginning on September 27. Gambhir is expected to resume his coaching duties with the series against the Caribbeans, with Laxman acting as the wrecker-in-chief for the away series against the Chevrons and the continental event.

According to Sportstar, Laxman will be assisted by a familiar coaching staff in Zimbabwe, who also share space with him at the CoE. Sunil Joshi, the former spin bowler, will be the bowling coach for the Zimbabwe series, whereas Hrishikesh Kanitkar will be taking charge as the batting coach. The same coaching staff is expected to be carried to Japan for the continental event as well.

Has VVS Laxman coached India in the past?

Yes, Laxman, who is also in charge of the BCCI Centre of Excellence (previously National Cricket Academy), has coached India in multiple stints. His first official assignment was in 2022 for the tour of Ireland, where India beat the hosts 2-0. He also guided the team to a 3-0 whitewash against Zimbabwe later that year.

During the group stages of the T20 World Cup in 2022, the former India great had joined the squad to act as a cover for Rahul Dravid, the designated coach who had been recovering from COVID-19. His last assignment in 2022 was for the T20I series against New Zealand, where India won 1-0. He has an unbeaten record as the head coach, as India are yet to lose a series under his guidance.

The Hyderabad-born’s most notable stint came during the Asian Games in 2023, where he had led the charge as the Men in Blue returned with a gold medal. More than a year later, in December 2024, Laxman enjoyed his latest run as the stand-in coach, being with the Indian team for the tour of South Africa, where they drew the Tests 1-1 and signed off with 2-1 wins each in ODIs and T20Is, respectively.

What is VVS Laxman’s role in the BCCI?

Beyond coaching, Laxman is also the chairman of the BCCI Centre of Excellence, a world-class facility in Bengaluru, which is run and managed by the board exclusively for players of the Indian team across all age groups and formats. As a result, Laxman spends time with almost all the players of the squad and knows their game inside out. 

What are India’s squads for the tour of Zimbabwe and the Asian Games 2026?

The All India Men’s Senior Selection Committee, led by Ajit Agarkar, has already picked the squads for the Asian Games, while the one for the T20I tour against Zimbabwe was revealed on Monday, July 06. Sanju Samson is the biggest absentee from the Zimbabwe tour, while Vaibhav Sooryavanshi seems to have been earmarked as the new opening partner for Abhishek Sharma.

Squad for Zimbabwe tour: Shreyas Iyer (C), Tilak Varma (VC), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (WK), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Suryansh Shedge, Rinku Singh, Harsh Dubey, Varun Chakravarthy, Prince Yadav, Yash Thakur, Ashok Sharma, Mayank Yadav, and Prabhsimran Singh (WK)

Squad for Asian Games 2026: Shreyas Iyer (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Ishan Kishan (WK), Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma (VC), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi