It is now official. Team India Head Coach shall not be travelling to Japan for the Asian Games 2026. The event will be held in Aichi-Nagoya.
India will be looking to defend the gold medal they won in 2023 in Hangzhou, China. The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) has confirmed that the former India opener is not going.
A Stronger Team in 2026
While the previous edition saw a second-string side under Ruturaj Gaikwad bring home the gold, this time a full-strength side is going to Japan that includes T20I skipper ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah and teen sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
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Who Will India’s Head Coach at Asian Games?
So, who is coaching in Gambhir’s absence? The MYAS said the coaching staff shall be led by Centre of Excellence (CoE) head VVS Laxman. Ex-India cricketers such as Sunil Joshi, Hrishikesh Kanitkar, and Subhadeep Ghosh are also part of it.
Why Is Gautam Gambhir Not Going to Japan?
Of course, the question on everyone’s minds is why is Gambhir not going? The reason is that the Asian Games 2026 is from September 19 to October 4 and it clashes with India’s ODI series vs West Indies. That series is from September 27 to October 3. It will be led by Shubman Gill while Shreyas, Bumrah and Ishan Kishan shall be absent as they are going to Japan. This series also marks the international return of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
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2027 ODI World Cup Preparation
The ODIs vs West Indies are part of India’s preparations for the World Cup in 2027, so that could be a reason why Gambhir is staying at home instead of going to Japan for such a major event. After all, the World Cup takes precedence over Asian Games in the grand scheme of things. The men’s cricket event begins on September 24 and shall end on October 3.
Not VVS Laxman’s First Asian Games
In fact, during the last Asian Games, Laxman was also the head coach of the side taking part because Rahul Dravid was with the ODI team. At that time, the Men in Blue were playing the warm-ups ahead of the World Cup.