VVS Laxman to lead India men’s cricket at 2026 Asian Games after surprise squad changes

VVS Laxman will captain India’s men’s cricket team at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, with the squad announced ahead of India’s September 28 quarter-final as defending champions; Gautam Gambhir stayed with the West Indies ODI tour and several 2026 T20 World Cup players have been omitted, while injured Varun Chakravarthy has been replaced by uncapped leg-spinner Vipraj Nigam.

The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports confirmed Laxman’s appointment in a circular on September 2 after The Times of India first reported his selection in July, and the coaching staff includes Sunil Joshi, Hrishikesh Kanitkar and new fielding coach Subhadeep Ghosh; Laxman previously coached India to gold in Hangzhou. The Asian Games men’s cricket tournament runs from September 24 to October 3 at Aichi Prefectural Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin, with ten teams competing; Afghanistan, Japan and Nepal form Group A while Hong Kong, China, Malaysia and Oman form Group B, and India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are seeded straight into the quarter-finals, according to an official Olympics.com preview.

The 14-player India squad is: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Tilak Varma (vice-captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Vipraj Nigam, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh and Yash Thakur. India begin their campaign in the quarter-final on September 28 against the Group A runner-up; the medal matches run through October 3.

Selection changes and late fitness issues reshaped the group: Nitish Kumar Reddy was withdrawn to play the West Indies ODIs, which start on September 27, Varun Chakravarthy suffered a side strain in the first T20I against Afghanistan on September 13 and the BCCI ruled him out on September 16, and ESPNcricinfo reported Varun’s injury and Nigam’s call-up. Harshit Rana had already been replaced by Yash Thakur following a hamstring problem.

Absent figures from India’s T20 World Cup squad — including Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav and Rinku Singh — alter the balance of the team and the tactical approach: the attack may lean on Jasprit Bumrah’s new-ball spells and a spin attack led by Axar Patel. Team management see three key determinants for knockout success: how Bumrah is used in the powerplay, whether the spinners can control the middle overs without Varun, and batting depth.

The batting group offers power at the top with Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi available, but selectors note the absence of a Hardik-like finisher increases responsibility on Shivam Dube and Washington Sundar, while Axar Patel provides the only true all-round balance. With the ball, Arshdeep Singh and Yash Thakur are expected to share new-ball duties with Bumrah, allowing the captain to hold Bumrah back for two death overs; in the middle overs Ravi Bishnoi’s skill with pace through the air and Vipraj Nigam’s variations will be relied upon to replicate the mystery Varun offered.

Preparatory context and broadcast details: India played a one-off T20I in Sano as a warm-up and diplomatic fixture marking 75 years of India-Japan relations, which BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said “takes the Indian team to new territory.” Korogi has produced good batting surfaces — India’s women scored 195 and 216 there — though spin has tended to dominate later in the week; organisers note early October is usually warm with a risk of autumn showers, and India’s selectors have said the team should consider picking three spinners and batting first if the surface looks dry. Men’s matches will air on Sony Sports and stream on SonyLIV; women’s matches started at 10:30 am IST (2 pm in Japan) and viewers should confirm men’s timings on the official Games schedule, with coverage across Sony Sports 1, Sony Sports 5, Sony Sports 3 (Hindi) and Sony Sports 4 (Tamil, Telugu and Kannada) and streaming on SonyLIV with a premium plan.

A separate note for fans: coverage of match downtime and mobile gaming has prompted links to Spribe’s aviator guide, which the article says explains how a round works, states a 97% RTP, describes a free demo mode, and warns that predictor apps are scams; India’s 2025 online gaming law restricts real-money online games, so the demo is described as the only risk-free way to try the title.

India’s immediate schedule is clear: they meet the Group A runner-up in the quarter-final on September 28 with medal matches up to October 3, while a second India squad will play three home ODIs against West Indies from September 27 to October 3; players returning from Japan will require workload management before subsequent assignments and stakeholders should follow the BCCI calendar for confirmed fixtures.