Transition to state-of-the-art facility, Women’s ODI WC win high points of tenure: Laxman

Bengaluru, Aug 9 (SocialNews.XYZ) Reflecting on his tenure at the helm of the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) Centre of Excellence (CoE), former India batter VVS Laxman on Sunday cited the transition to world-class infrastructure and the Indian women's team's historic 2025 ODI World Cup triumph as the ultimate highlights of his stint.

Laxman, one of the few players to have played 100 Test matches, has been the CoE’s head of cricket since December 2021. Under him, the high-performance facility moved from being at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru to a world-class facility spread across 40 acres of land on the outskirts of the garden city.

"First, realising and being part of the vision converted into actual execution has been the highlight. Because we were operating from that facility at the Chinnaswamy, which was great, and it still contributed towards a lot of cricketers. But this is an unbelievable world-class infrastructure. So I was part of that transition.

"The second thing was the development of a lot of young cricketers. Again, it's not the trophies you win. Trophies are a byproduct of what systems, the processes you set. Those systems and the processes are something which is in your control and you can focus in an objective way, understanding whether those processes are working or not working. The trophies are a byproduct of the hard work and the processes and systems you put in place," said Laxman in a press conference on Sunday.

Explaining his deep connection with women's cricket, Laxman expressed immense pride in the team's maiden ODI World Cup victory, and recalled the emotional moment when head coach Amol Muzumdar and captain Harmanpreet Kaur invited him to join the winning celebrations.

"The third one is understanding and being involved with women's cricket. I think that for me was something out of my comfort zone, and out of my understanding. I think in the last four and a half years, the amount of involvement I got into women's cricket is something which I will treasure. In fact, Amol and Harman wanted me to be there on the ground when we won the World Cup.

"I was there in the BCCI box and I enjoyed watching from there - the whole celebration. I was probably one of the last ones to leave because, again, any vision you set in, any goal or ambition you establish, and if that bears the fruit, you feel really happy about it. So I think Indian women's team winning the World Cup was probably the high point.

"So there are a lot of high points. Actually, watching the youngsters as with this magnitude of the infrastructure, from April to September, the entire infrastructure of such a big scale is filled with players. In that, watching right from under-16, under-15 players to your elite contracted players like Harman, Indian women's team and men's team and targeted players coming and to see them work on their game, to see them get better each and every day, it can't be more meaningful than what I've experienced.

"So I think that, again, is a high point and I think all these players, all these activities will only strengthen Indian cricket and 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."

Speaking about star batter Virat Kohli, Laxman lauded his work ethic and the benchmarks he has established for the next generation of players. "I think there's no doubt that Virat is an exemplary professional and the standards he sets for himself is something which he tries and goes out each and every time he plays, whichever team, to meet those standards and that's why he's a great role model.

"I think a lot of youngsters or players want to emulate him and that's been, again, one of the high points. I see a lot of youngsters, I don't know if I can name them, but everyone who's here and the benchmark we set is the benchmark of the best. That's why you have the NFDC parameters. It's not only about the fitness, but it's also the attitude with which a role model plays and that's why they're known as role models."

Elaborating on the psychological and physical management on the players undergoing rehabilitation at the CoE, Laxman cited all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy as a case in point regarding workload management amid tight schedules.

"I think the mental side of a player undergoing rehab or getting injuries is something which we always require to keep in mind. So the player also knows that he has got injured. The player also knows what is that he requires to do to get fit and be again participating in the commitments.

"Now from the CoE side, we make sure that we make the player understand the workload. In this case, it is Nitish. Being an all-rounder, obviously there is a lot of workload on him and how he becomes fitter, not only when he is playing various tournaments but also when he is not part of any tournaments.

"I think it is an ongoing process now of getting better from your fitness levels because everyone knows, now you go to IPL, you play state franchise and then you start playing the domestic cricket or international cricket. So while you are playing the matches also, unlike before where there is an off-season where you actually can get better at your fitness, the player should know that while he is playing the matches, how he productively and meaningfully uses the breaks to get fit.

"So I think the conversation with Nitish is, injury is part and parcel. What is that you can do to get better, to handle the workload of being an all-rounder and it is across the board. It is not only Nitish, across the board, you want to tell and that is why the screening at the start of the season is very, very important."

Laxman also highlighted the introduction of the 'Bronco test' to evaluate anaerobic capacity during competitive series without putting excessive strain on athletes. "If you see in the presentation, the parameters we have for all the fitness tests, the NFTC test is mentioned there. So all the contracted players and the targeted players come before the start of the season and they undergo a string of fitness tests which you must have seen with various machines up there and on-field activities.

"There is one new introduction which is fantastic and Adrian got in that, which is your Bronco test. As I mentioned that while you are playing, it is very important for you to remain fit. Now, Yo-Yo is one test which we test the player's anaerobic capacity. Now, Yo-Yo can't be done when you are part of a series because it can be really grueling for your body to recover."

"So the Bronco test becomes like a conditioning session. It also indirectly tests the fitness levels, the anaerobic fitness levels of a player and that is taken on board across the various age groups and we do that through the season. So that is something which can be repeatable," Laxman concluded.

Source: IANS