The former Indian batter VVS Laxman is going to extend his tenure as the head of the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru by at least another year, despite his initial three-year contract ending this September.
He was being pursued by a franchise of the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the position of head coach, a role which is now not possible because of his responsibilities at the National Cricket Academy. He is likely to be assisted by the other coaches, including Sairaj Bahutule, Shitanshu Kotak, and Hrishikesh Kanitkar, all of whom are the stars of domestic cricket.
The extension of the contract for VVS Laxman has come just before the inauguration of the new state-of-the-art campus of NCA on the outskirts of Bengaluru, whose foundation was laid in January 2022, almost 14 years after the land was sanctioned for a 99-year lease by the Karnataka Government.
BCCI secretary Jay Shah confirms extension of VVS Laxman’s contract
VVS Laxman served as the interim coach of the Indian team during the tour of Zimbabwe for the five-match series in the shortest format of the game, which they went on to win with a 4-1 margin under the leadership of young captain Shubman Gill. This happened as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was deciding their future head coach.
Also Read: Jay Shah Clears BCCI’s Stance On Virat Kohli’s And Rohit Sharma’s Participation In Indian Domestic Cricket
A few reports in the past revealed that the Hyderabad-born took his name from the race for the new head coach of the national side due to prioritizing family time. The former batting coach of the Indian team, Vikram Rathour, was supposed to be the front-runner to replace Laxman as the new NCA chief.
But, in a recent interview with Times of India, the BCCI secretary Jay Shah confirmed that VVS Laxman would continue to play the role of the chief of the National Cricket Academy.
“VVS Laxman’s contract ends in September. But he will continue.” Shah expressed to Times of India.
The new NCA academy is believed to be equipped with at least 100 pitches, indoor facilities with 45 tracts, three international-sized grounds, a modern rehab center, lodging facilities, and Olympic-sized pools. The construction of these things is at the final stage, as it’s likely to be operational from early next year.
One of the biggest challenges for the veteran will be building on the India A tour program, which was carried forward during the tenure of Rahul Dravid. Even though, it was later hampered due to the busy international career.
In his playing career, the 49-year-old featured in 134 Tests for the national side, smashing 8781 runs at an average of 45.97, celebrating 56 half-centuries and 17 centuries with the best score of 281 runs, which came on a very famous occasion during the Kolkata Test against Australia in 2001.
The NCA always plays a huge role in the success of Indian cricket. The expressive pace at which the premier pacer of the side, Jasprit Bumrah, recovered from a back injury, or the wicket-keeper batter of the team, Rishabh Pant, recovered despite the fatal car accident, was impressive.
Also Read: Jay Shah Reveals Why BCCI Rejected ICC’s Offer To Host Women’s T20 World Cup In India
Even Mohammad Shami, who missed all the action since the end of the Men’s ODI World Cup 2024 in India due to his surgery, is training at the NCA. He aims to be fully prepared before the start of the home season with the two Tests against Bangladesh.
VVS Laxman, in his first three years at the NCA, built on the process set for injury management, the rehab of players, and the roadmaps of senior teams, age groups, and women’s cricket.
