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In a recent update for Indian cricket, VVS Laxman will take charge as head coach for India’s white-ball tour of South Africa. The usual head coach, Gautam Gambhir, will be busy preparing for the important Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. A senior BCCI official confirmed Laxman’s role earlier this week.
India will play four T20 matches against South Africa on November 8, 10, 13, and 15 in the cities of Durban, Gqeberha, Centurion, and Johannesburg. The team is set to leave on November 4. The squad going to Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy will follow shortly after, on November 10-11.
Joining Laxman as support staff will be experienced coaches from the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru. This includes Sairaj Bahutule as head coach, Hrishikesh Kanitkar as batting coach, and Subhadeep Ghosh as fielding coach. They recently worked with India’s Emerging team at the Asia Emerging Cup in Oman.
The BCCI has announced a 15-member squad for the series, led by Suryakumar Yadav. Key players include Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Rinku Singh, and Varun Chakaravarthy.
Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar raised concerns about the timing of the South Africa tour, as it clashes with the domestic Ranji Trophy season. This means that some top players may miss important state-level matches. However, the series could be a great opportunity for younger players to shine, especially with the upcoming IPL auction. Franchises will get a closer look at emerging talents who could be valuable additions to their teams.
India T20I Squad:
Captain: Suryakumar Yadav
Players: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Rinku Singh, Tilak Varma, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ramandeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Avesh Khan, Yash Dayal.
