New Delhi : V V S Laxman, the current head of the BCCI Centre of Excellence, reflects on the significant strides made under his leadership and addresses his future plans amidst ongoing speculation about him potentially taking on the role of chief selector.

V V S Laxman has overseen significant progress at the BCCI Centre of Excellence over the last two years, establishing world-class programmes.

Laxman extended his term at the CoE until 2026, having previously declined the head coach position for the Indian men's team in 2024 due to family reasons and a commitment to the CoE.

Laxman highlighted the development of young cricketers and his involvement in women's cricket as key achievements during his tenure.

Despite speculation, Laxman has not yet committed to succeeding Ajit Agarkar as the chief selector, choosing instead to focus on his current role.
 
Amidst the speculations of him being drafted in as chief selector, V V S Laxman on Sunday expressed delight at the progress BCCI Centre of Excellence has made under him in the last two years but left his future at the centre open to conjecture.

Laxman succeeded Rahul Dravid as the head of National Cricket Academy, now rebranded as CoE, in 2021 for a three-year term.

The BCCI had approached him in 2024 to become the head coach of Indian men's cricket team after Dravid's stint ended with that year's successful T20 World Cup campaign.

But Laxman refused the opportunity, partly because of family reasons and partly because he wanted to stay and develop the CoE, extending his term for two years until 2026.

Commitment to CoE Development : "Because (former BCCI secretary) Jay (Shah) and the BCCI gave me the freedom to execute my vision, and Devajit (Saikia, current BCCI secretary) continues to give me, I've extended (stint at CoE) for two years, and I committed to the BCCI that I'm not taking up the head coach position. You all know that I was approached back in 2024," Laxman told select media at the BCCI CoE in Bengaluru.

"I'll make sure that I establish the CoE, its structure, the processes and the protocols, which I just shared with them all the SOPs for every department, you know, before I move on, after the two years' stay. So I think I'm very happy that I've been able - also because of the team we have - to establish a very, very world class programme at the CoE," Laxman added.

Future Role and Achievements : Laxman has been touted by several quarters to succeed Ajit Agarkar as the chief selector once the latter's term ends in September.

But the batting great is yet to give his nod to any such proposal. Instead he chose to dwell on his part in establishing CoE on the outskirts of Bengaluru city, and some high points he achieved during his stint in Bengaluru.

"This is an unbelievable world class experience. So I was part of that transition. The second thing was the development of a lot of young cricketers. It's not the trophies you win. Trophies are a by-product of what systems and processes you set.

"The third one is understanding and being involved in women's cricket. That for me was something out of my comfort zone, out of my understanding. And I think in the last four and a half years, the amount of involvement I got in women's cricket is something which I will treasure," he said.

"I think all these players, all these activities will only strengthen Indian cricket. All these players, I'm sure, will get a lot more laurels to Indian cricket and try to be the best players they can be, and we always aim to be the best team in world cricket," Laxman said.