Gautam Gambhir vs VVS Laxman! India coaches clash over THIS player’s availability; Know here

Gautam Gambhir will coach India in IND vs WI ODIs, while VVS Laxman will oversee Asian Games 2026 squad.

The Indian Cricket Team has announced their squad for the home ODI series against West Indies. The series is set to start on September 27, with the first match being played in Thiruvananthapuram, followed by the second match on September 30 in Guwahati and the third match on October 3 in Tira, Punjab.

The schedule of the series is clashing with the schedule of the Asian Games, where the Indian players are fighting for the gold medal. That’s the reason why Shubman Gill and Co. will play this ODI series without a few regular starters, including Shreyas Iyer, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishan Kishan, Axar Patel and others. Despite the absences, the squad still looks strong on paper, and Auqib Nabi has been introduced into the squad.

However, according to reports in Dainik Jagran, there was a clash between the coaches of the Indian Cricket Team and the Indian team at the Asian Games over the availability of a particular player.

Gautam Gambhir wanted Washington Sundar, but VVS Laxman opted to keep him with Asian Games squad – Reports

VVS Laxman, who is the Head of the BCCI Centre of Excellence (formerly the National Cricket Academy or NCA) in Bengaluru, was announced as the head coach of the India for the Asian Games.

According to Dainik Jagran reporter Abhishek Tripathi, Gautam Gambhir, who is the head coach of the India, along with captain Shubman Gill, wanted Washington Sundar in the squad for the ODI series against West Indies. Sundar, who is part of the squad for the Asian Games as well, would have had to withdraw from the tournament to fulfil the requirement.

However, VVS Laxman denied the request as he was not in favour of it and proposed Nitish Kumar Reddy to be taken into the Indian squad for the West Indies series. Hence, Nitish Kumar Reddy, who was also in the squad for the Asian Games, had to withdraw from the tournament and was allotted to the ODI series.

This signifies the importance of the all-rounder Washington Sundar in the eyes of the Indian coaches. Even though the Indian team are favourites at both the Asian Games and the ODI series, it will be exciting to watch how they will operate without some key players in both squads.

For more updates, follow Khel Now Cricket on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram.