Laxman will attend selection committee meetings to avoid miscommunication: Saikia

NEW DELHI: Centre of Excellence head VVS Laxman will attend all senior selection panel meetings going forward to ensure there is "no miscommunication" between the committee and the COE, BCCI secretary Devaijit Saikia has said.

The announcement came after Laxman attended the T20I and India A team selection meeting in Guwahati on Tuesday.

"VVS Laxman will henceforth attend all senior selection committee meetings to ensure there is no miscommunication between selectors and the COE," Saikia told PTI.

"This was decided at the review meeting in Mumbai that as head of cricket, COE, Laxman should attend all meetings going forward. The move is intended to ensure selectors get accurate information to make right decisions," he said in his statement.

It was widely speculated that Laxman and the now former chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar did not see eye to eye on issues related to the players' recovery time-lines while undergoing rehabilitation at the COE in Bengaluru.

Agarkar, it is believed, felt that the communication from the COE about the fitness status of players was not clear.

Laxman succeeded Rahul Dravid as the head of National Cricket Academy, now re-branded and revamped as COE, in 2021 for a three-year term.

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

But the batting great refused the opportunity, citing family reasons and his desire to stay and develop the COE. His term was eventually extended for two years until 2026.

It was speculated that Laxman was also in contention to succeed Ajit Agarkar as the chief selector. The BCCI launched a hunt for Agarkar's successor by inviting applications for the position on Tuesday.

Strike bowler Jasprit Bumrah, all-rounders Harshit Rana, Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar and top-order batter B Sai Sudharsan were some of the players who recuperated from their respective injuries at the CoE in recent past.

In August, Laxman, while addressing the criticism directed at the COE, had stated that the centre should not merely be seen as a rehab facility. He had also rejected suggestions that there was lack of communication with the selection committee.

"...there are bigger roles to play for it in helping cricketers achieve excellence. So, we don't like to use the term 'blame' (for injuries) because when you're using that term, then you're finding someone as a scapegoat," Laxman told select media at the CoE during an interaction in August.

"But there's brilliant coordination between the CoE and the team management of both the teams (men and women) and the SSM staff of both the teams. So that communication is happening seamlessly."