The head of the Centre of Excellence, Bengaluru, India's legendary Test batter VVS Laxman is likely to become the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) Director of Cricket. As per a report by India Today, the BCCI are set to make changes in September as chief selector of men's senior cricket, Ajit Agarkar's tenure will come to an end.
Despite India's two T20 World Cup and one ICC Champions Trophy triumph, Agarkar has been on the receiving end of criticism. Indian team has seen a decline in Test cricket and it will take exceptional performances to qualify for the final of World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27.
Despite the reports of possibility of Agarkar getting an extension till ODI World Cup 2027, Laxman may get the big role.
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What will be Laxman’s role as BCCI’s Director of Cricket?
If Laxman is appointed as Director of Cricket, he won't just be in charge of the Centre of Excellence. He will also oversee the structure of cricket in India. He is likely to be the bridge between the team, selectors, coaches and the CoE along with talent scouting, player development and long-term planning.
Laxman has already worked with the young Indian sides including Under-19 team. Often, he has fulfilled the role of head coach on tours which did not feature former head coach Rahul Dravid and current head coach Gautam Gambhir. Most recently, he was with Shreyas Iyer-led team on the tour of Zimbabwe.
When did Laxman take over as CoE head?
Recently, Laxman had revealed that he said no to the head coach role in 2023 when it was offered to him. After ODI World Cup 2023, Dravid’s tenure had ended. He extended his tenure on then-skipper Rohit Sharma’s request till the T20 World Cup 2024. Laxman has continued to serve as head of CoE since 2021, a role he took over from Dravid.
Laxman’s current challenge – solve the injury problem
Laxman has been charge of redevelopment of the CoE. But, of late, there have been questions raised in his direction as several players have been added to the injury list. The most recent being Sai Sudharsan and Jasprit Bumrah who have been ruled out of the Test series against Sri Lanka. Laxman had recently addressed the injury problem and revealed that they are looking for the new head of Sports Science since Nitin Patel's departure last year.