VVS Laxman Likely To Be India's New Head Coach; When Would He Be Officially Named?
VVS Laxman seen with Surya ahead of 1st T20I vs AUS [AP Photo]
The search for India's new coach begins as current head coach Rahul Dravid is not keen on extending his contract that ended with the conclusion of ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is likely to replace Dravid with the current National Cricket Academy (NCA) head VVS Laxman, who on several occasions has filled in as interim coach over the past year.
Laxman is currently serving as interim Indian coach for the five-match T20Is against Australia, which begins today at Visakhapatnam.
As reported by Times of India, an unnamed BCCI official stated that Laxman expressed his desire to don the role of head coach while Dravid has communicated with the board about not continuing as a full-time coach and could likely go back to NCA as head.
Here's what BCCI official said
“(VVS) Laxman has expressed his keenness for the job. During the World Cup, Laxman travelled to Ahmedabad to meet the BCCI's top bosses in this regard. He's likely to sign a long-time contract as the Team India coach, and will certainly travel with the team in that capacity for the upcoming tour of South Africa, which will be his first as the full-time India head coach."
"(Rahul) Dravid has communicated to the BCCI that he isn't keen to continue as a full-time coach. For close to 20 years, he has travelled with the Indian team as a player, and for the past couple of years, he again went through the same grind, which he doesn't want to undergo. He's fine with a role at the NCA as the head there."
If appointed head coach, Laxman's first international assignment as full-time support staff will be the upcoming South Africa tour, where India will play three T20Is, three ODIs, and two Tests.
 "Vishal Mehra")
