New Delhi:India will be splitting coaching duties between regular head coach Gautam Gambhir and Centre of Excellence head VVS Laxman for the upcoming international assignments as an action-packed schedule awaits the Men in Blue. India will be involved in several tours with minimal turnaround, which prompted the BCCI to field different coaching staff for the Zimbabwe tour and the Asian Games.
BCCI CoE chief Laxman will be in charge of India for the Zimbabwe series and the Asiad with batting coach Hrishikesh Kanitkar and bowling coach Sunil Joshi by his side, PTI reported. The move will provide a brief respite for the senior support staff at the end of the England ODI series.
India's busy tour prompted the changeIndia are currently on a tour of the UK and after the 0-2 defeat to Ireland are now in England for a five-match series. after the opener was washed out. They will later play a three-match ODI series against the Three Lions after the first two matches Those three matches will be played on July 14, 16 and 19, with the final taking place just four days before India's tour to Zimbabwe begins.
India will then travel to Zimbabwe for a three-match T20I series beginning on July 23, with the second and third games slated for July 25 and 26 respectively. All matches will be played in Harare. It would have been a very short time between the two tours.
Laxman to continue at Asian Games tooLaxman will also be in charge for the Asian Games meanwhile as India will also have a hectic schedule at that time. India is set to play a three-match T20I series against Afghanistan from September 13-19, followed by the Asian Games cricket competition from September 19 to October 3.
West Indies will then visit India for a white-ball series from September 27 to October 17 comprising of three ODIs and five T20Is. “The schedule is still tight and India will have Laxman and his coaching staff doing the job in Asian Games too. Meanwhile, Gambhir and his team of coaches will be in charge for the West Indies white-ball series.
Laxman won't be in charge of a second string Indian side for the first time. He was in charge of the coaching staff for India’s T20I tour of Zimbabwe in 2024 when Shubman Gill captained the side and Abhishek Sharma made his debut. Rahul Dravid was with the senior team for the ODI World Cup in 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou and Laxman had the reins.
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