Former India batsman VVS Laxman wishes to see his ex-teammate and newly elected BCCI president Sourav Ganguly revive the National Cricket Academy. Laxman believes nurturing the youngsters at NCA is key for the betterment of Indian cricket and the state-of-the-art facility in Bangalore shouldn't become just a rehabilitation centre for injured players.
"If you ask me one thing, it would be how Sourav can revive the NCA. The greatness of this Indian team is their bench strength," Laxman said at the Cricket Association of Bengal's felicitation ceremony for Ganguly where he was one of the special invitees along with former skipper Mohammed Azharuddin.
"You look at this South Africa side and it is the most depleted I have seen. This is because their domestic structure is not strong. The reason why the Indian team is doing well is because the domestic structure is so good. Through the NCA, you can produce future champions for a long period of time," he added.
Laxman has a lot of faith in Ganguly, who took over as India captain in 1999 when Indian cricket was going through a tumultuous phase, and infused a lot of positive energy that the system badly needed.
"He(Ganguly) took over when it was a tough period for Indian cricket team," Laxman said. "He revived the fortunes of Indian cricket team and inspired the youngsters, built the team that went on to become the number one Test cricket team. They qualified for the final of World Cup 2003. He has been very inspiring."
"He excelled in the tour and got selected for England series. He has not looked back since his Lord's innings. For me Sourav the cricketer is special and Sourav the captain is even more special," he concluded.
(Inputs from PTI)
