VVS Laxman and Saikia Praise Jay Shah’s Vision for BCCI Centre of Excellence

The landscape of Indian cricket is set to undergo a massive transformation with the establishment of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru.

As the state-of-the-art facility prepares to open its doors to the next generation of athletes, top officials, including National Cricket Academy (NCA) head VVS Laxman and key committee members like Saikia, have come forward to praise BCCI Secretary Jay Shah for his visionary leadership in turning this dream into a reality.

For years, the Indian cricket board operated its National Cricket Academy out of the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium premises. While it served its purpose, the growing demands of modern cricket, sports science, and injury rehabilitation required a dedicated, world-class campus. The new Centre of Excellence is exactly that, and officials credit Shah's relentless administrative drive for its successful execution.

What are the State-of-the-Art Facilities at the CoE?

The newly constructed Centre of Excellence is built on a massive, sprawling campus on the outskirts of Bengaluru. It is designed to cater not just to male and female cricketers, but also to athletes from other sports, fulfilling a broader vision of Indian sports development.

The facility boasts three full-sized cricket grounds, allowing multiple teams to practice simultaneously. It features customized pitches with different soil compositions: red clay, black cotton, and hybrid surfaces to help Indian batters and bowlers prepare for overseas tours right at home. Furthermore, the CoE houses a massive indoor practice area, a world-class gymnasium, an Olympic-size swimming pool, and a dedicated sports science and medicine block.

The BCCI Secretary took a personal interest in the blueprint, ensuring that the facility was not just the best in India, but competitive on a global scale.

"He took everybody on board in the BCCI's Apex Council and made a firm decision that this establishment, the Centre of Excellence, had to be done on a war footing. We needed to move on from the old, temporary arrangement of the National Cricket Academy. Jay also came here personally on several occasions to clear all the legal hurdles to start the work, because a lot of regulations had to be followed once we decided to start a proper project," Saikia said.

VVS Laxman Lauds the Game-Changing Infrastructure

VVS Laxman, who oversees the development of young cricketers and the rehabilitation of senior players, has been closely involved with the CoE's transition. The former India batter expressed his immense gratitude toward the BCCI management, particularly singling out Shah for understanding the deep-rooted needs of players.

"In the span of close to two years, the entire infrastructure was up and running. And huge credit to Jay because he was the secretary of the BCCI and I myself saw firsthand how much interest he used to take in various meetings we used to have with the architects, with the L&T team, to make sure that each and every aspect of the CoE, or then NCA, is taken care of," Laxman said.

Laxman pointed out that having a dedicated space for injury management, biomechanics testing, and mental conditioning all under one roof will drastically reduce player recovery times and extend the careers of fast bowlers.