India news – VVS Laxman to continue as head of National Cricket Academy

Laxman was being pursued by the IPL franchise to take over as coach, a role that would not be possible due to his NCA duties. He will likely be assisted by his coaching team, which includes Shitanshu Kotak, Sairaj Bahutule and Hrishikesh Kanitkar, all experts in Indian domestic cricket.

Laxman’s contract extension comes ahead of the inauguration of NCA’s new state-of-the-art campus on the outskirts of Bengaluru, the foundation of which was laid in January 2022, 14 years after the land was approved by the Karnataka government in 99-year contract.

Believed to be equipped with at least 100 pitches, 45-pitch indoor arenas, three international-sized stadiums, a state-of-the-art fitness center, dormitories and Olympic-sized pools, besides a host of other facilities, the NCA is in its final stages. of construction, and is likely to start working from the beginning of next year.

In his first three-year tenure at the NCA, Laxman continued the procedures set by his predecessor Rahul Dravid for injury management, player rehabilitation, training programs and road preparation for senior teams, age group and women’s cricket.

One of Laxman’s challenges is the revival of the India A tour program, which had started two years ago, unlike under Dravid when tours, both inbound and outbound, were more frequent.