VVS Laxman named India's coach for Zimbabwe T20Is, Asian Games
What's the story
In a strategic move, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to split coaching responsibilities due to India's busy international calendar. VVS Laxman, the Centre of Excellence (CoE) head, will take over as the head coach for the upcoming tour of Zimbabwe and the Asian Games. The decision comes as the Asian Games clash with India's home series against West Indies.
Coaching roles
Laxman to be supported by Joshi and Kanitkar
While head coach Gautam Gambhir will stay with the senior team for the home series against West Indies, Laxman will lead the teams going to Zimbabwe and Japan. The former Indian cricketer will be supported by a familiar support staff during his stint. Former India spinner Sunil Joshi has been appointed as bowling coach while ex-batter Hrishikesh Kanitkar will take over as batting coach.
Coaching continuity
Continuity during overlapping assignments
This isn't the first time BCCI has opted for such a strategy. The board has often relied on CoE to maintain continuity during overlapping assignments in India's busy schedule. Laxman had previously filled in as coach for several overseas tours when the senior coaching staff was unavailable. This practice was also followed by previous heads of the National Cricket Academy during scheduling conflicts.
Squads
India's squads for Zimbabwe T20Is and Asian Games
India's squad for Zimbabwe T20Is: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma (vice-captain), Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Shivam Dube, Suryansh Shedge, Rinku Singh, Harsh Dubey, Varun Chakravarthy, Prince Yadav, Yash Thakur, Ashok Sharma, Mayank Yadav, and Prabhsimran Singh (wicket-keeper). India's Asian Games squad: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma (vice-captain), Nitish Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, and Jasprit Bumrah.