Renowned Indian cricketer VVS Laxman is all set to take on the role of head coach for the men’s cricket team, while Hrishikesh Kanitkar will be leading and guiding the women’s team during the Hangzhou Games in 2023.
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Former Indian cricket stars VVS Laxman and Hrishikesh Kanitkar will be taking up the important positions of head coach for the Indian men’s and women’s cricket teams at the upcoming Asian Games in 2023, which will be held in Hangzhou, China.
Laxman, who leads the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru, will be coaching the 15-member men’s team, led by Ruturaj Gaikwad. It’s worth noting that the 48-year-old VVS Laxman had previously served as the coach for the senior Indian men’s cricket team during their recent tour of Ireland, stepping in for the regular head coach Rahul Dravid.
During his playing career, VVS Laxman achieved an impressive record, scoring a total of 8,781 runs in 134 Test matches for India. In the shorter format of the game, One Day Internationals (ODIs), this former Hyderabad batsman amassed 2,338 runs in 86 matches.
The former Indian leg-spinner, Sairaj Bahutule, has taken on the role of the bowling coach for the Indian men’s cricket team at the Hangzhou Games.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has chosen a second-string Indian cricket team to participate in the Hangzhou Games. This decision comes as the main senior team is gearing up for the ICC Men’s ODI Cricket World Cup 2023, which is set to happen in India from October 5 to November 19.
Cricket matches during the 19th Asian Games are scheduled to be held from September 19 to October 7 at the Pingfeng Campus Cricket Field in Hangzhou.
Meanwhile, Hrishikesh Kanitkar will step into the position of head coach for the 15-member women’s team, with Smriti Mandhana leading the squad as the captain.
The 48-year-old Kanitkar, with his expertise, led the Indian women’s cricket team to the semi-finals of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in February of this year.
As a former India international cricketer, Hrishikesh Kanitkar made his mark by scoring 339 runs and taking 17 wickets in 34 One Day International (ODI) matches. Although he played just two Test matches for India, the left-handed batsman from Pune contributed with a total of 74 runs.
Indian Men’s Cricket Team Coaching Staff
| VVS Laxman | Head coach |
| Sairaj Bahutule | Bowling coach |
| Munish Bali | Fielding coach |
The Indian men’s cricket team is set to begin its Asian Games journey in the quarter-finals on October 3. Subsequently, the semi-finals and the highly anticipated gold medal match will take place on October 6 and 7, respectively.
Indian Women’s Cricket Team Coaching Staff
| Hrishikesh Kanitkar | Head coach |
| Rajib Dutta | Bowling coach |
| Subhadeep Ghosh | Fielding coach |
In contrast, the Indian women’s cricket team will commence its Asian Games campaign from the quarter-finals, which begin on September 21. Following that, the semi-finals and the much-anticipated gold medal match are scheduled for September 24 and 25, respectively.
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This marks a historic moment as the Indian cricket teams will be making their debut appearance at the Asian Games. Cricket was initially introduced as a sport at the 2010 Guangzhou Games and was continued as a medal event for the 2014 Incheon Games. India had chosen not to participate in both of these editions. Unfortunately, the sport was omitted from the 2018 Jakarta Games, but it is set to make a comeback at the Hangzhou Games.