"VVS Laxman's ability to be committed made us select him as the new NCA chief" - BCCI president Sourav Ganguly
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Sourav Ganguly firmly believes that the future of Indian cricket is in safe hands after the appointments of Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman as head coach and National Cricket Academy (NCA) head, respectively. The former India captain made these remarks while speaking to PTI on Wednesday.
VVS Laxman is set to be Rahul Dravid's successor at the helm of the NCA after the latter was appointed as the new head coach of the national team. Ganguly revealed that Laxman was selected by the board for his committed nature.
"Laxman's ability to be committed made us select him. He has always been a fantastic person to work with. From that point of view, his stature in Indian cricket is beyond everything. Rahul has put a system in place in NCA and obviously, that will help Laxman to carry forward the good work," Ganguly said.
Ganguly went on to mention that he was pleased with the two decorated cricket stars coming on board in the aforementioned roles.
You tell them that it's important, and they agreed. We are extremely happy to have both of them, and Indian cricket is in safe hands. More than emotional, I am happy that they have both agreed and they want to do it for Indian cricket," Ganguly added.
New roles 👌
New challenges 👊
New beginnings 👍
Energies were high yesterday on Day 1 at the office for #TeamIndia T20I captain @ImRo45 & Head Coach Rahul Dravid. 👏 👏
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"His earnings will drop but yeah, he has agreed" - Sourav Ganguly
Ganguly admitted that taking up the NCA chief's role will have an impact on Laxman's overall earnings. This is mainly because Laxman will no longer be able to serve as the mentor of the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League.
Ganguly also confirmed that Laxman will shift his base from Hyderabad to Bengaluru along with his wife and kids for the next three years. He hailed his former teammate for making the bold move by adding:
"He is shifting to Bangalore for next three years from Hyderabad just to serve Indian cricket. It's remarkable. Of course, his earnings will drop but yeah, he has agreed. His wife and kids will also shift. His children will now study in a school in Bangalore and there will be a massive change as a family to shift base."
The ex-India captain opined that taking such a decision is never easy unless the individual is completely devoted to Indian cricket.
Laxman is indeed one of the most respected names in Indian cricket and, as far as fans are concerned, is the right candidate to replace Dravid as the NCA chief.