Laxman’s appointment of NCA director is a welcome development
By Vijay Mohan Raj
The announcement of VVS Laxman as the next Director of the National Cricket Academy is a welcome development as far as Indian cricket is concerned.
This does bring to the fore a debate as to what reforms we could expect in the coaching program that will bring synergy at the grass root level vis a vis the development of cricket in the country.
As of now the NCA is the platform that provides the certification of the coaches and the supporting staff by offering training and upgradation of personnel who aspire to serve the game.
NCA is also the institution which prepares the National cricket teams prior to their international competition besides offering rehabilitation programs to those players who end up with injuries through qualified and competent staff.
However, what Indian Cricket has failed to do is to replicate the NCA programmes at the level of their constituents. As a consequence the Academies that have been set up by the members of the BCCI to cater to the development of the game in their jurisdiction have ended up as unprofessional and of haphazard employment of favourites of the power groups, mostly substandard coaches and support staff.
It would be ideal if the BCCI directly sets up these Academies and makes all appointments based on the certification that candidates achieve as per the norms set by the parent body. These Academies should be run directly by NCA and financed by the BCCI directly.
I do expect that VVS would facilitate these changes during his tenure and ensure that knowledge flows at its best to the grass root level without being tampered with by certain administrators who are hell bent on promoting vested interests.
Although Indian cricket is wealthy and healthy in comparison to other countries it requires constant upgradation of policies to ensure development of the game at the grass root level.
As a proud Hyderabadi and a fan of VVS, I’m confident that he will steer Indian cricket in the right direction.
(Vijay Mohan Raj is a former Bombay and Hyderabad Ranji opener and a Level 3 coach from NCA)
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