VVS Laxman Steps In as India’s Head Coach for South Africa Tour

In an expected coaching shuffle, VVS Laxman will serve as the head coach for India’s white-ball team on their upcoming South Africa tour, covering for Gautam Gambhir, who is currently focusing on the red-ball squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy

In an expected coaching shuffle, VVS Laxman will serve as the head coach for India’s white-ball team on their upcoming South Africa tour, covering for Gautam Gambhir, who is currently focusing on the red-ball squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. According to a BCCI source, Laxman will head to South Africa with the team under Suryakumar Yadav’s captaincy. At the same time, Gambhir will attend to the Test squad’s preparations. The T20Is in South Africa begin on November 8 in Durban, with additional matches scheduled for Gqeberha, Centurion, and Johannesburg on November 10, 13, and 15, respectively. India’s white-ball squad departs on November 3, while the Test unit will head to Australia by mid-November for their series. Laxman will work with other coaches from the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru, including Sairaj Bahutule (bowling coach), Hrishikesh Kanitkar (batting coach), and Subhadeep Ghosh (fielding coach).

Meanwhile, Sitanshu Kotak and Mazhar Moidu from the NCA are accompanying India A in Australia, where they’ll participate in two first-class matches against Australia A. Additionally, a three-day intra-squad match will take place in Perth, pitting the India A team against the Senior Men’s Team. The white-ball squad features regulars, though key players like Mayank Yadav, Shivam Dube, and Riyan Parag are absent due to injuries. New inclusions include Ramandeep Singh, Vijaykumar Vyshak, and Avesh Khan, who strengthens the pace lineup with Arshdeep Singh. Axar Patel, who was left out of the Test squad, will join the white-ball team for more game time, especially after limited opportunities in recent matches against New Zealand and Bangladesh.