New Delhi:
VVS Laxman, head of the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) Centre of Excellence (CoE), will take charge as the head coach of the Indian men’s cricket team at the upcoming Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports confirmed his appointment while announcing the Indian contingent for the Games.
The 768-member Indian contingent announced by the ministry includes 503 athletes, 246 team officials and support staff, and 19 contingent staff members. Regular head coach Gautam Gambhir has been given a break ahead of the white-ball series against the West Indies. As a result, Laxman will oversee the men’s cricket team at the Asian Games.
According to the ministry’s release, Sunil Joshi, Rishikesh Kanitkar and Subhadeep Ghosh will assist Laxman, while Amol Muzumdar will be in charge of the women’s team at the Asian Games.
Laxman recently took charge of the Indian team during the T20I series against Zimbabwe in July. He had stepped in after Gambhir was given a break following the white-ball series against England.
Both the Indian men’s and women’s cricket teams will enter the Asian Games as defending champions after winning gold medals at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games. Ruturaj Gaikwad led a largely second-string Indian men’s side to the gold medal, while Harmanpreet Kaur guided the Women in Blue to the top prize in the women’s competition.
Meanwhile, accommodation arrangements for the upcoming Asian Games have become a topic of discussion. According to Naoki Alex Miyaji, CEO of the Japan Cricket Association (JCA), teams participating in the cricket event at the Asian Games are being provided hotel accommodation, despite limited room availability in the host region.
Cricket is not a particularly popular sport in Japan, and the matches will be played at Korogi Sports Park. The newly built venue is located around 40 minutes by train from central Nagoya.
