VVS Laxman to take charge as NCA head, confirms Sourav Ganguly

The Board of Control for Cricket in India president Sourav Ganguly has confirmed that former Indian batter VVS Laxman will take charge of the National Cricket Academy’s head.

Laxman will replace his former teammate Rahul Dravid as the NCA director and he is also expected to part ways with Sunrisers Hyderabad to avoid conflict of interest.

Dravid was earlier named as Team India’s new head coach after the completion of Ravi Shastri’s tenure. Laxman was expected to be a favorite to replace Dravid at the NCA.

Laxman’s role as a director at the NCA will be to manage players’ workload as well as their injuries and guide them on the right track during their rehabilitation process.

When ANI asked Sourav Ganguly whether VVS Laxman will take over as NCA director, the former Indian captain said, “Yes”.

It was earlier reported that Ganguly and BCCI secretary Jay Shah wanted Laxman to take over the role at the NCA.

“Sourav and Jay both would love to have Laxman take up the NCA role. But yes, the final call obviously lies with the former India cricketer as he has a young family also. He is undoubtedly a front runner for the role and not to forget how he has been known to share a special bond with now coach Dravid. It will be the perfect combination to have those two work together towards taking Indian cricket forward. Nothing like having former cricketers coming on board to help produce the next generation of stars,” the BCCI source had said.

On the other hand, the Indian team will open a new chapter under the tutelage of head coach Rahul Dravid. Dravid’s first assignment as the chief coach is the upcoming T20I and Test series against New Zealand.

“It is an absolute honor to be appointed as the new head coach of the Indian cricket team and I am really looking forward to this role. Under Shastri, the team has done very well, and I hope to work with the team to take this forward.

Having worked closely with most of the boys either at NCA, U19 and India A setup, I know they have the passion and desire to improve every day. There are some marquee multi-team events in the next two years, and I look forward to working with the players and the support staff to achieve our potential,” Dravid had said while talking to BCCI.TV upon his appointment.