'45 practice pitches, Olympic-size swimming pool': BCCI secretary Jay Shah announces new NCA in Bengaluru
BCCI secretary Jay Shah announced the new NCA will open shortly for cricketers.
BCCI secretary Jay Shah announced on Saturday that the new National Cricket Academy (NCA) will be launched shortly in Bengaluru. There have been various reports concerning the development of the project, and Shah confirmed last year that the new NCA will be launched by August 2024.
The BCCI secretary, taking to his official X account, revealed that the newly-built NCA will have “45 practice pitches” and “Olympic-size swimming pool”, among other key facilities.
“Very excited to announce that the @BCCI’s new National Cricket Academy (NCA) is almost complete and will be opening shortly in Bengaluru. The new NCA will feature three world-class playing grounds, 45 practice pitches, indoor cricket pitches, Olympic-size swimming pool and state-of-the-art training, recovery and sports science facilities,” Shah wrote.
“This initiative will help our nation’s current and future cricketers develop their skills in the best possible environment!”
The NCA has been instrumental in nurturing numerous cricketers across the country. It serves as the premier venue for national players recovering from injuries, offering them a space to rehabilitate and engage in practice games to regain their form. Jasprit Bumrah (back injury) and Rishabh Pant (car accident) were notable names who underwent recovery at the NCA in the recent past.
Additionally, NCA also hosts training camps for Team India ahead of international tours; before the limited-overs tour of Sri Lanka, the Indian players assembled and trained at the venue in Bengaluru.
It has also been reported that NCA's helm could change, with VVS Laxman set to leave his post. Vikram Rathour, the former India batting coach, is touted to succeed the India batting great.
On multiple occasions, Laxman has travelled with the Indian second-string sides as interim head coach while performing his duties as NCA head of cricket, while Rahul Dravid was the team's head coach. Following Dravid's departure from the role after the T20 World Cup win in June, Laxman was appointed in an interim role for the five-match T20I series in Zimbabwe last month.