Reports: VVS Laxman refuses BCCI's offer to head NCA

Former India batter VVS Laxman has refused to take up the role of director for the National Cricket Academy (NCA) after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) approached him for the pole position. Till now the NCA’s director was Rahul Dravid but he has to relinquish the role as he is almost certain to be the head coach of the national senior men’s team after the completion of the ICC T20 World Cup.

BCCI wants to hand over the NCA director’s role to someone who has made a significant and telling contribution to the Indian cricket team and hence, they approached Laxman for the role. It is a well-documented fact that the former India batter was considered one of the greats of the game during his time. His contribution in the Tests in the middle-order for team India is second to none. Laxman has also earned a lot of respect and admiration from his competitors and peers.

He finished his Test career with 8781 runs in 134 Test matches. He is currently the batting consultant of Bengal and also the mentor for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). According to reports in Sports Tak, the BCCI have begun to search for other options after Laxman declined the role.

Rahul Dravid set to take over as the coach of the Indian team

Earlier, the incumbent head coach of the Indian team Ravi Shastri had stated that he will not continue after the end of the T20 World Cup. The 59-year-old has been with the team since 2018 and has been instrumental in several of the team’s victories at overseas as well as in-home Tests. But Shastri wants to take a backseat and has conveyed to BCCI about the same.

Several names were discussed for the role of head coach but the BCCI are keen to rope in Dravid. The 48-year-old comes with a vast amount of experience and has been the coach of Under-19 team for several years. He was also the coach of the team during India’s limited-overs series against Sri Lanka. If the reports are certain, then Dravid will have to quit the NCA job and also his post from the Under-19 team.