VVS Laxman on Sunday expressed happiness at the progress the BCCI Center of Excellence has achieved under him over the past two years amid rumors that he might be appointed head selector. However, he left his future at the center up in the air.
In 2021, Laxman took over Rahul Dravid's position as head of the National Cricket Academy, which is now known as CoE, for a period of three years.
After Dravid's tenure ended with that year's victorious T20 World Cup campaign, the BCCI asked him in 2024 to take over as head coach of the Indian men's cricket team. However, Laxman declined the chance, in part due to personal obligations and in part because he wished to remain and grow the CoE, prolonging his tenure by two years until 2026.
“Because (former BCCI secretary) Jay (Shah) and the BCCI gave me the freedom to execute my vision, and Devajit (Saikia, current BCCI secretary) continues to give it to me, I’ve extended my stint at CoE for two years, and I committed to the BCCI that I’m not taking up the head coach position. You all know that I was approached back in 2024,” Laxman told select media at the BCCI CoE.
“I’ll make sure that I establish the CoE, its structure, the processes, and the protocols, for which I just shared with them all the SOPs for every department, you know, before I move on after the two years’ stay. So, I think I’m very happy that I’ve been able—also because of the team we have—to establish a very, very world-class program at the CoE,” Laxman added.
Many reports have stated that VVS Laxman is primed to succeed Ajit Agarkar as the next chief of the BCCI selection committee; however, the former India cricketer has yet to give his nod to any such proposal.
Rather, he decided to focus on his contribution to the establishment of CoE on the outskirts of Bengaluru city and some of the notable accomplishments he made while working here.
“This is an unbelievable world-class experience. So I was part of that transition. The second thing was the development of a lot of young cricketers. It’s not the trophies you win. Trophies are a by-product of what systems and processes you set.
The third one is understanding and being involved in women’s cricket. That for me was something out of my comfort zone, out of my understanding. And I think in the last four and a half years, the amount of involvement I got in women’s cricket is something that I will treasure,” he said.
“I think all these players and all these activities will only strengthen Indian cricket. All these players, I’m sure, will get a lot more laurels for Indian cricket and try to be the best players they can be, and we always aim to be the best team in world cricket,” Laxman signed off.
(PTI inputs)
