VVS Laxman, the former India cricketer, will continue to be the head of the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru. While initial reports had suggesed that Laxman will not continue as the head of the state-of-the-art facility, it is now being reported that Laxman will extend his three-year-contract until September.
Even though an official announcement by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is awaited, the news has been confirmed as a per a report carried by ESPNCricinfo. The news also means that attempts of an Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise trying to convince Laxman to join them as their head coach will now have to wait as Laxman will be busy with his NCA duties till 2025.
The initial contract for which Laxman had agreed and had even shifted base from Hyderabad to Bengaluru along with his family expires in September 2024. In his support staff, Laxman is likely to have the services of Shitanshu Kotak, Sairaj Bahutule and Hrishikesh Kanitkar.
New NCA Campus Set To Be Inaugurated Soon
Meanwhile, the news of Laxman's contract extension comes ahead of the inauguration of the new NCA campus at the outskirts of Bengaluru. The foundation for the same was laid in January 2022. It is being learnt that the new facility will have a minimum of 100 pitches, indoor facilities for training, three international-sized stadiums, a centre for rehabilitation and recovery, lodging facilities, Olympic-sized swimming pools and a range of other facilities. The new NCA is expected to operational early next year.
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It remains to be seen how Laxman manages things at the NCA, now that he has got another year. While his work with injury management and preparing a path following which players can actually get into the senior team has been noticable, much like Rahul Dravid, the India A tour program has not been as regular as it was during Dravid's tenure, an area where he might look to address.