Newly-elected BCCI president Sourav Ganguly has had a busy first week, announcing India’s first Day/Night Test to be held in Kolkata at the end of November within days of taking charge.
The former captain’s next step is to ensure the progress of Indian cricket is the National Cricket Academy. The new BCCI office-bearers aim it to turn it into a top-notch facility for budding talent.
This means that former captain and vice-captain of the Indian cricket team, Ganguly and Rahul Dravid will team up once again. Dravid, the India A and Under-19 coach, was appointed the Head of Cricket at the National Cricket Academy.
The BCCI president, secretary Jay Shah and treasurer Arun Singh Dhumal are to meet NCA officials in Bangalore on Wednesday. The plan is to make the NCA a state-of-the-art facility Centre of Excellence for future cricketers and not just the ones who are already in the team, according to a report by The Indian Express.
Ganguly and Dravid’s former teammate VVS Laxman had mentioned the revamp of NCA at Ganguly’s felicitation at Eden Gardens last week. “If I have to make one wish to Sourav, it’s just about how he can support, how he can revive the NCA,” he said.
For the past few years NCA, which was supposed to be the supply line of Indian cricket, has actually become a rehabilitation centre, a failing that was even acknowledged by Ganguly after he took over.
Ganguly is expected to be updated on the new NCA project, which is being developed, PTI had reported.
Former NCA chairman Niranjan Shah blamed the Supreme Court-appointed Committe of Administrators for the decline of the NCA.
“See, since the CoA took over, for three years, the NCA was totally neglected. They have talked about its development but never done any development. In my time, we at least purchased 40 acres of land near the airport and they haven’t done anything on that. They, also, unnecessarily disbanded the NCA committee comprising members who knew how to run the NCA,” he told The Indian Express.
