He accepted the job with trepidation but batting great VVS Laxman says he is now a content man as head of BCCI's Centre of Excellence, having played his part in creating a "supply chain" that will help India dominate world cricket across formats for at least the next decade.
Laxman took over as the head of the erstwhile National Cricket Academy (NCA) in 2021 from his one-time teammate Rahul Dravid, and built on the excellent platform that was already laid out. NCA has been refurbished into a CoE by the Board and was inaugurated on Sunday. Laxman got a one-year extension into the position after his original tenure ended earlier this year.
"I can say with a lot of confidence, barring a couple of skillsets, I think, for the next 10 years, we've got a lot of players who will make our country proud. I'm not only talking about men's, but also women's (cricket) as well. We're blessed to have that kind of talent," Laxman told a select media gathering at the Centre of Excellence.
He said India's dominance in world cricket is a perfect reflection of its steady "supply chain."
"We won the (T20) World Cup (2024) in the West Indies which was a great result. But if you see all the three formats, we have dominated. Not only the rankings, we have dominated (other aspects too).
"There is a supply chain as far as cricket is concerned. That means the amount of players we have at our disposal, it is a real blessing."
The 49-year-old said grooming the players without tinkering with their natural game, was essential to maintain that supply chai.
"The whole idea is to monitor them, how to groom them, so that they realise their potential. It's not that we dictate them (players) that you have to do this or you have to change (technique).
"Ultimately the player should feel comfortable, acknowledging and accepting that option. We don't want the player to suddenly feel the burden of whose advice he has to listen to."
The former India batter then explained how monitoring of the "targeted" players was done at the CoE.
"When Rahul was the head coach of the Indian team, he used to take care of the contracted players and we at NCA used to take care of the targeted players, emerging players and the under-19 players," he recalled.
For this purpose, Laxman said he and the other support staff created a wonderful synergy with various state associations to ensure continuity and similarity in coaching.
"...Because ultimately the state association coaches spend a lot more time with a player than what we do. We also have an athlete management system. A profile is created for all the players who come and attend the ZCA and the NCA camps…right from their reports of skills to the fitness to the musculoskeletal screening report.
"Now, we are going to even request the state association to follow that process. So, at least 50 players of each state association – 25 men and 25 women -- should be there on the watch list.
"We will know how the player has progressed and it will become very easy for anyone who is taking care of that player to know what the player has gone through every year," he elaborated on the process.
Along with skill enhancement, Laxman said keeping the players in a good mental state is also important for their growth.
"The players themselves are so professional. They understand what is needed for them to be in the best mindset when they are competing at the highest level. As far as the junior cricketers are concerned, we have got mental conditioners who spend 8 to 10 days with the players," he said.
Importance of ‘A' tours
Laxman described the significance of ‘A' tours in preparing a player to tackle all kind of conditions.
"Every year we make sure that we have at least two A Series. Sometimes it can be challenging because we want to have an A Series whereas the other boards will be busy with their own domestic cricket. Or they may not be ready to accommodate us.
"But at least we try to have two A Series. The A programme allows us to go to different parts of the world and get experience. So that when they graduate to the national team, it is not a surprise to them," added Laxman.
