The preparations of the Indian cricket team for the Asian Games 2026, which are going to be held in Japan, have gained momentum. Shreyas Iyer will lead the Indian team in the men’s cricket tournament starting from September 24. But head coach Gautam Gambhir will not go to Japan with the team. The dates of the Asian Games and India’s multi-format series against West Indies are clashing with each other. For this reason, the Indian cricket team will have to attack on two different fronts. The regular team will play a series against West Indies, while the Shreyas Iyer-led team will represent India in the Asian Games.
In the absence of Gautam Gambhir, former batsman VVS Laxman will take over the responsibility of head coach. This information has come to light in the report of news agency PTI. Along with Laxman, Sunil Joshi, Hrishikesh Kanitkar and Subhdeep Ghosh will be part of the support staff. Maroof Fajander will play the role of leader of the team’s support staff. India’s team includes many big T20 stars, hence it is being considered a strong contender for the gold medal.
Team India will play quarter finals directly
India’s support staff will have several members in coaching and other roles. After athletics, the support staff for cricket will be the largest in the Indian contingent for the Asian Games. The Indian team will not need to play the group stage in the Asian Games. India has got direct entry into the quarter finals.
Shreyas Iyer Brigade will play the second quarter-final of the tournament and this will be its first match in the Asian Games 2026. On the other hand, Pakistan will enter the quarter finals first. Apart from India and Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have also got direct place in the quarter finals. However, who will face these teams in the quarter-finals will be decided later.
There is a great mix of experience and youthful enthusiasm in the Indian team. Apart from captain Shreyas Iyer, players like Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan and Vaibhav Suryavanshi strengthen the batting unit. Shivam Dubey, Tilak Verma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Akshar Patel and Washington Sundar are present in the all-round department. Whereas Varun Chakraborty and Ravi Bishnoi will take charge in the spin department. In the fast bowling unit, options like Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana make the team very strong.
Well, all eyes will be on 15 year old Vaibhav Suryavanshi. Vaibhav, who has made a name for himself with his explosive batting in IPL (Indian Premier League) and domestic cricket, will now get a chance to prove himself on a big platform like the Asian Games.
There are many players in the team captained by Shreyas Iyer, who have the ability to change the course of the match in T20 cricket in just a few overs. This is the reason why India is being counted among the strongest contenders for the title even before the start of the tournament.
Indian Team: Shreyas Iyer (Captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Shivam Dubey, Tilak Verma (vice-captain), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakraborty, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh and Vaibhav Suryavanshi.