Team India have been performing exceptionally well across formats for quite a few years now. They reached the finals of the World Test Championship and ODI World Cup last year and clinched the T20 World Cup 2024 in June.
In the ongoing WTC cycle, India are heading the points table and looking firm-favorites to make it to the final for the third consecutive time.
In an exclusive chat with TOI, National Cricket Academy (NCA) head VVS Laxman attributed India’s dominance to 'huge supply chain'.
“I'm grateful that the BCCI secretary Jay Shah has allowed my team and me to execute all the programmes and whatever visions we have for the betterment of the players. Everyone talks about the Indian team at the helm. We won the T20 World Cup, which was a great result. But we have dominated in all three formats. That is because there is a huge supply chain, which is a blessing. That is largely because of us giving a lot of importance to first-class cricket,” Laxman said.
The 49-year-old also highlighted the significance of nurturing U-19 cricketers for future challenges.
“Every two years, the World Cup is a big occasion for the players. We are going with the intent of winning it, but it is also about embracing the entire process of how you do that. The structure is very good, but we realized from one World Cup to the other that there is always one batch which misses out. The U-19 team is currently playing a series against Australia. Many of the players who might miss out on the next World Cup are part of this series. This gives them exposure to playing at a high level and helps them develop as cricketers,” he explained.
In order to bridge the gap, Laxman said he and the other support staff have created a wonderful synergy with various state associations to ensure continuity and similarity in coaching.
“When Rahul (Dravid) was the head coach of the Indian team, he used to take care of the contracted players and we at NCA used to take care of the targeted players. That's how it works. At the domestic level, we have the emerging and under-19 players who we take care of throughout the year. They come for camps and when they go back to their respective state associations, we monitor them. Every NCA coach monitors at least 10 players. We collaborate with the coaches back in the state. Most of those coaches are part of our ecosystem through the summer programmes. It is an open and inclusive way of working. The communication channel is very transparent,” he remarked.
Laxman took over as the head of the NCA in 2021 from his one-time teammate Rahul Dravid and built on the excellent platform that was already laid out.
Reflecting on his tenure as administrator, “When I took up this role in December 2021, I was very reluctant. But once I embraced this position, it's been a satisfying and fulfilling experience because you're dealing with not only the established international stars, but you're creating the bench strength. To see the amount of talent and potential at our disposal has been very fulfilling.”
“I can say with a lot of confidence, barring a couple of skill sets, we've got a lot of players who will make our country proud for the next 10 years. In both men's and women's cricket, we're blessed to have that kind of talent. The idea is to monitor and groom the players so that they realise their potential. I've got a wonderful team, which plays a very important role in fulfilling the expectations I have from what we do at the NCA. I think it's a non-stop grind but satisfying and fulfilling.”
