BCCI's Manhas eyes gold as India head to Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya
Synopsis
BCCI president Mithun Manhas has declared India are heading to the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games for one reason only — gold. With Shreyas Iyer and Harmanpreet Kaur leading full-strength squads, and VVS Laxman stepping in as men's head coach, India arrive as defending champions in both events and the clear favourites to retain both titles.
Key Takeaways
BCCI president Mithun Manhas confirmed India will send a full-fledged squad to the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan , targeting gold in both cricket events.
India is the defending champion in both men's and women's cricket after winning gold at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games .
The Indian women's team plays its quarter-final on 18 September ; medal matches are on 22 September .
The Indian men's team enters at the quarter-final stage on 28 September ; medal matches are on 3 October .
VVS Laxman will coach the men's team, with Gautam Gambhir rested ahead of the West Indies series starting 27 September .
Shreyas Iyer captains the men's squad; Harmanpreet Kaur leads the women's side, with Shreyanka Patil included subject to fitness.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will field a full-strength cricket contingent at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, with BCCI president Mithun Manhas declaring on 8 September that the team is travelling with one objective: gold. India enters the tournament as defending champions in both the men's and women's events, having swept both titles at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games.
Manhas Sets the Target
"We will send a full-fledged cricket team to the Asian Games. We are going there with the aim of winning the gold medal for India. It will be a great event, and hopefully, I will be there as well to cheer for our team," Manhas said.
The statement signals a departure from past editions where Indian cricket boards sent second-string or developmental squads to multi-sport continental events. This time, the rosters — announced alongside the schedule — include several frontline names across both formats.
Schedule and Pathway to the Medal Matches
The Indian women's team enters directly at the quarter-final stage on 18 September, with the semi-finals scheduled for 20 September and medal matches on 22 September. The Indian men's team also receives a direct quarter-final berth, playing from 28 September, with semi-finals on 1 October and medal matches on 3 October in Aichi-Nagoya.
Coaching Set-Up for Both Teams
VVS Laxman, Head of the Centre of Excellence (CoE), will serve as head coach of the men's team. Regular head coach Gautam Gambhir has been rested ahead of India's white-ball series against the West Indies, which begins on 27 September. Laxman will be supported by former India spinner Sunil Joshi, Hrishikesh Kanitkar, and Subhadeep Ghosh. Amol Muzumdar will lead the coaching staff for the women's team.
Notably, this is not the first time Laxman has stepped in during a Gambhir break — he guided the men's side through the T20I series against Zimbabwe in July, where Ruturaj Gaikwad captained a largely second-string squad to the title. The women's team, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, also claimed gold at that edition.
Full Squads Announced
India women's squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Smriti Mandhana (vice-captain), Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wicket-keeper), G. Kamalini (wicket-keeper), Bharti Fulmali, Sree Charani, Renuka Thakur, Kranti Gaud, Arundhati Reddy, Shreyanka Patil (subject to fitness), Radha Yadav, Nandni Sharma.
India men's squad: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wicket-keeper), Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma (vice-captain), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
With defending titles on the line and a star-studded roster in place, India will be the team to beat when cricket takes centre stage at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
Point of View
Iyer, Samson, Mandhana — to a multi-sport event reflects a BCCI calculus that gold at the Asian Games now carries reputational weight worth the scheduling cost. The more telling question is squad management: Gambhir is being rested for the West Indies series starting just days after the men's medal match, leaving almost no recovery window for players who feature in both. If injuries emerge in Aichi-Nagoya, the BCCI's decision to field its first-choice names will face sharp scrutiny. For now, the optics of defending both titles with full rosters is a statement of intent — but the fixture congestion risk is real.
NationPress
9 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Is India sending a full-strength cricket team to the Asian Games?
Yes. BCCI president Mithun Manhas confirmed on 8 September that India will field a full-fledged squad at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, with the explicit goal of winning gold in both men's and women's cricket.
When do India's men's and women's cricket teams play at the Asian Games?
The Indian women's team plays its quarter-final on 18 September, with semi-finals on 20 September and medal matches on 22 September. The men's team enters at the quarter-final stage on 28 September, with semi-finals on 1 October and medal matches on 3 October in Aichi-Nagoya.
Who will coach India's men's cricket team at the Asian Games?
VVS Laxman, Head of the BCCI Centre of Excellence, will serve as head coach of the men's team. Regular head coach Gautam Gambhir has been rested ahead of India's white-ball series against the West Indies beginning 27 September. Laxman will be assisted by Sunil Joshi, Hrishikesh Kanitkar, and Subhadeep Ghosh.
Who are the captains of India's men's and women's Asian Games cricket squads?
Shreyas Iyer will captain the men's team, with Tilak Varma as vice-captain. Harmanpreet Kaur will lead the women's side, with Smriti Mandhana as vice-captain.
Has India won cricket gold at the Asian Games before?
Yes. India won gold in both men's and women's cricket at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, making the team the defending champion in both events heading into the Aichi-Nagoya edition.
