VVS Laxman to Lead India as Head Coach for T20 Tour in South Africa

VVS Laxman takes charge as head coach for India's T20 tour in South Africa, with predictions available at Lotus365.

VVS Laxman has been named head coach for India's upcoming short white-ball tour of South Africa. He will take over from the current national coach, Gautam Gambhir, who will be in Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The decision was confirmed to Cricbuzz by a senior official of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

This four-match T20 series was arranged between the BCCI and Cricket South Africa (CSA) and is scheduled for November 8, 10, 13, and 15 in Durban, Gqeberha, Centurion, and Johannesburg. The Indian team is set to depart around November 4. Meanwhile, the squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy will leave on November 10-11.

Laxman will be supported by the National Cricket Academy (NCA) staff, including Sairaj Bahutule as head coach, Hrishikesh Kanitkar as batting coach, and Subhadeep Ghosh as fielding coach. They recently worked with the India Emerging side at the Asia Emerging Cup in Oman. Sitanshu Kotak from Saurashtra and Mazhar Moidu from Kerala, both associated with the NCA, will accompany the Ruturaj Gaikwad-led India A team to Australia.

On October 25, the BCCI announced a 15-member squad led by Suryakumar Yadav for the four T20Is. However, the scheduling of this tour has attracted criticism as it overlaps with India's domestic season. Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar expressed concerns, stating, "Next month, there's a needless four-match T20 series in South Africa before the tour to Australia. There will also be an 'A' team touring Australia next month, so effectively about 50 to 60 players will not be available for their State teams in the premier national tournament, the Ranji Trophy."

On a positive note, this tour could provide valuable insights ahead of the IPL auction, with the matches serving as a platform to identify players who will attract interest from franchises.

T20I Squad: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Rinku Singh, Tilak Varma, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ramandeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Avesh Khan, Yash Dayal. credits-https://www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-news/132237/vvs-laxman-to-be-indias-head-coach-in-south-africa