National Cricket Academy (NCA) chief VVS Laxman is likely to be in charge of the Indian team during the five-match T20 International series against Australia. This series will start within a week of the end of the World Cup. Head coach Rahul Dravid’s contract will also expire with the World Cup and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will have the option to request the former Indian captain to reapply for the post as per BCCI rules. Applications will have to be invited.
It will be interesting to see whether the 51-year-old Dravid wants to continue as the head coach of the national team or not as it involves a lot of traveling and constant pressure. There is a possibility that Dravid, who has coached teams like Delhi Capitals and Rajasthan Royals in the IPL, may make a comeback in this T20 league in which 10 teams now play.
But there is every possibility that after traveling more than 10 thousand km in the country during the World Cup, the entire team, apart from Dravid and Suryakumar Yadav, may be given rest. A BCCI source said on condition of anonymity, whenever Rahul has taken a break, VVS Laxman has always been in charge and the same is expected to continue in this series to be held immediately after the World Cup.
If applications are invited for the new coach, Laxman would be a very strong contender as the BCCI has devised a process where a person who is in charge of the NCA and has knowledge of the entire system is groomed for the role.
The T20 squad against Australia will mostly include players who were part of the Asian Games squad apart from the series against West Indies and Ireland. Players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul and Jasprit Bumrah are likely to be given a break to freshen up for the series against South Africa where India have to play three T20s, as many ODIs and two Tests. .
The five-match T20 series against Australia will start on November 23 in Visakhapatnam. If Laxman is given the responsibility of coach, then Sitanshu Kotak will be the batting coach. He is also likely to play the role of coach during India ‘A’ tour to South Africa.
Meanwhile, Dubai is set to host the auction for the 2024 season of the Indian Premier League on December 19. An official said, now 10 teams will participate in the IPL auction and now it has become very difficult to get hundreds of rooms in the same five-star hotel to accommodate the franchise members, BCCI officials, operations team, broadcasting team. This is why Dubai is the preferred destination. During the auction, each team will have a fund of Rs 100 crore for the 2024 season, which is Rs 5 crore more than last year. The Women’s Premier League auction will be held on December 9.