VVS Laxman. (Source – BCCI)
VVS Laxman was once in contention for holding the Indian Team’s Head Coach responsibility, given he was a fill-in for Rahul Dravid’s sabbaticals. But majorly, he was running the show as the Head of National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. Laxman’s three-year contract was about to end in September 2024, but BCCI Secretary, Jay Shah has confirmed the contract extension by a year.
After the developments, speculations surrounding the veteran’s potential involvement with the IPL franchise as coach ceded, and he will be looking after the domestic circuit along with Shitanshu Kotak, Sairaj Bahutule, and Hrishikesh Kanitkar as his subordinates. Dravid had laid a blueprint for the India A team concerning their tours, the idea which was on hold due to the packed international schedule, will be the high-priority assignment for the former India batter.
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Speaking of 49-year-old’s portfolio as the Head of NCA, the Hyderabad cricketer converged the focus on injury management, player rehabilitation, and coaching programmes. He was also instrumental in making do’s and don’ts for senior teams, age groups, and women’s cricket in general.
Indian cricket gets new state of art NCA campus
The new state-of-the-art NCA campus is built on the outskirts of Bengaluru. The land for the same was sanctioned by the Government of Karnataka on a 99-year lease. The foundation stone for the new campus was laid in January 2022 and it will start serving Indian cricket by the end of 2024.
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The highly anticipated project is said to have at least 100 pitches, indoor facilities with 45 pitches, three international-sized grounds, a modern rehab center, lodging facilities, and Olympic-sized pools. Though the construction will reach its final stage by the fag end of 2024, the facility will be in operational from 2025.