The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary, Devajit Saikia, recently met with VVS Laxman, the head of BCCI’s Centre of Excellence (CoE), to discuss the future direction of the center. The meeting, which took place at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai, also saw the presence of other BCCI office-bearers, including President Mithun Manhas and vice-president Rajeev Shukla.
Saikia shared on Facebook about the productive meeting with Laxman and other BCCI officials, where they reviewed ongoing activities and outlined plans to enhance India’s cricket talent pipeline through the CoE. It was clarified that Laxman is not set to replace Gautam Gambhir as the head coach of Team India following recent red-ball cricket performance issues.
VVS Laxman took over as the head of the CoE in 2021, succeeding former Indian head coach Rahul Dravid. The BCCI has been actively investing in nurturing the Under-19 squad and focusing on developing young talents like Ayush Mhatre at the CoE. The board had previously announced the expansion of the CoE to provide a top-notch facility for young cricketers to thrive.
Recent concerns arose after the Under-19 India team’s defeat in the Under-19 Asia Cup final, prompting scrutiny of the CoE’s effectiveness. While there were speculations about replacing Gambhir with Laxman due to the team’s performance, reports suggested Laxman’s reluctance to leave the CoE chief position for a more demanding role that involves extensive travel.
