Former Indian batter and BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) head VVS Laxman shared that he was offered the role of Team India head coach back in 2023, but he could not take it up for personal reasons and decided to continue as the head of the CoE and contribute to its development as well.

Speaking during the presser, he said, “The reason why I extended (as the head of CoE): In 2023, I was supposed to become the head coach. Because of personal reasons, I was not able to take that up. I went and spoke to Jay (Shah) twice. He understood my reasons. Because of what Jay and the BCCI have given me, the freedom to execute my vision, it continues with Devajit and other office-bearers.”

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“I extended for two years, and I committed to the BCCI that here I am not taking up the head coach position, but I will make sure that I establish the CoE, I establish the structure, the processes and the protocols, before I move on,” he further added.

In September 2024, the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence was inaugurated by none other than BCCI secretary Jay Shah, replacing the old facility operating at Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium under the name of the National Cricket Academy as well. Spanning over 40 acres, this facility is designed to become the epicentre for nurturing cricketers and advancing sports science in India. The CoE features three grounds and 86 pitches, including both indoor and outdoor areas, showcasing its capacity to provide comprehensive training facilities to the players as well.

However, in late 2021, Laxman took over from Rahul Dravid as the head of the CoE, with the latter becoming the Team India head coach as well. Laxman has been the head of the facility since then and, during his tenure, the CoE expanded into a full-fledged facility of its own too.