VVS Laxman Profile: NCA / CoE Head of Cricket 2026 Career Story

VVS Laxman is one of the most beloved names in Indian Test history, the man who authored the 281 at Eden Gardens in 2001 and who averaged in the high 40s across 134 Tests. Since 2022 he has led the BCCI's Centre of Excellence, the rebranded National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, acting as the head of India's entire player development pathway. Here is the full profile of the Test legend in his coaching-administrator role.

The playing career in one glance

Vangipurappu Venkata Sai Laxman played 134 Tests for India between 1996 and 2012, scoring 8,781 runs at an average of 45.97 with 17 centuries. He played 86 ODIs with six hundreds. His Test record overseas, particularly in Australia, is among the best of any subcontinent batter in the last three decades.

The defining Laxman innings is the 281 against Australia at Eden Gardens in March 2001, part of the follow-on win that reshaped Indian Test cricket. Australia described that match as one of the great Test defeats in their history, and the batting partnership with Rahul Dravid across that innings is among the most studied partnerships in modern cricket.

Transition to coaching and administration

Laxman retired from international cricket in 2012. Through the 2010s he worked as a commentator, columnist and mentor. He was mentor at Sunrisers Hyderabad across multiple IPL seasons, working with a generation of SRH batters and building a reputation as a calm, detail-oriented mentor rather than a loud motivator.

In 2022 he was appointed the head of the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, and has since overseen the rebrand of the facility into the Centre of Excellence, a state-of-the-art campus with Tests, A-team and rehab-specific infrastructure.

Role at the Centre of Excellence

Laxman's remit at the CoE covers every age-group Indian team from the U16s upward, India A, the Indian women's A teams, rehab programming for injured India players and the certification pipeline for Indian coaches. He has also coached the senior India team in interim caretaker stints when the head coach was away, including tours of New Zealand and Ireland.

Under his leadership the CoE has standardised fitness testing, data-led individual development plans and structured pathway tours for India A and U19. Almost every current India cricketer now passes through the CoE for either rehab or specific skill work multiple times a year.

Coaching philosophy

Laxman's method is built on patience, humility and long-term thinking. He believes junior cricketers should be given time to fail and then learn, rather than discarded after one poor series. He is strongly in favour of red-ball exposure for young batters even in a white-ball-heavy era, and pushes for India A and U19 squads to play red-ball fixtures on tour wherever possible.

He is also one of the most approachable senior figures in Indian cricket, and players often talk about how easy he is to speak to about technical or mental issues.

Why his role matters

The CoE head of cricket is arguably the single most important non-playing role in Indian cricket. Head coaches change every three to four years, but the pathway architect decides which young players even reach the senior conversation. Laxman's influence will be felt across Indian cricket for the next decade through the players his pathway produces.

FAQ

Q: What is VVS Laxman's current role? A: He is head of cricket at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, which is the rebranded and upgraded National Cricket Academy.

Q: Has VVS Laxman coached the senior India team? A: Yes, in interim caretaker stints such as during the 2022 tour of New Zealand, while continuing his role at the NCA/CoE.

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