BCCI secretary Saikia explains why VVS Laxman attended selection meeting | Exclusive

BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia (ANI Photo)

NEW DELHI: BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) head VVS Laxman is set to regularly attend selection meetings as the Indian cricket board aims to avoid any miscommunication between the selectors, team management and the Bengaluru facility.

BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia explained that the decision was made at the review meeting in Mumbai and will be the norm going forward.

“VVS was in the meeting to ensure there is no miscommunication between the selectors and the CoE,” Saikia told TimesofIndia.com in an exclusive chat.“He is the head of cricket at the BCCI. He has all the information about the players’ injuries, so to avoid any miscommunication, Laxman should attend the selection meetings going forward.

It was decided after the review meeting in Mumbai,” he further added.Saikia admitted that the continuous player injuries were a grave concern for the BCCI. When asked if the move was intended to make the selection process more transparent, Saikia said: “It is not about transparency. It is about ensuring that the selectors get complete and accurate information so that they can make the right decisions,” he said.

Recently, after the third ODI against the West Indies, India captain Shubman Gill admitted that the absence of players due to multiple factors had been frustrating.

He said the team does not have too much time to experiment ahead of the 2027 World Cup and wants to field the combination that is likely to play in the tournament the next time a series comes around.“I would say it’s been unfortunate, you know, with the injuries and with the scheduling, with the other matches being around. It’s been a little bit unfortunate that we have not been able to play the bowling lineup that we would like to,” he had told reporters.