New Delhi, Aug 24: National Cricket Academy (NCA) head VVS Laxman will perform the duties of interim head coach for the upcoming Asia Cup after Rahul Dravid tested positive for COVID19.
Dravid is currently in isolation and will link up with the squad once he tests negative.
"VVS Laxman, Head Cricket, NCA will be the interim Head Coach for Team India (Senior Men) for the upcoming ACC Asia Cup 2022, to be played in the UAE," BCCI secretary Jay Shah stated in a release.
"Laxman, who travelled with the Indian team that played the ODI series in Zimbabwe will oversee the team's preparation in the absence of Rahul Dravid, who tested positive for COVID-19 before the team's departure to the UAE. Dravid will join the team once he tests negative and is cleared by the BCCI Medical Team," he said.
Laxman has linked up with the squad in Dubai along with vice-captain KL Rahul, Deepak Hooda and Avesh Khan, who travelled from Harare after competing in the three-match ODI series against Zimbabwe.
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Jabalpur (PTI): The death toll in the Bargi Dam tragedy rose to nine on Friday, as rescuers recovered the bodies of five more persons who were on the cruise boat that overturned in the reservoir in Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur.
Talking to PTI Videos, Madhya Pradesh Tourism Minister Dharmendra Bhav Singh Lodhi said, "Four bodies were recovered on Thursday, while five were found in the early hours during the rescue operation, taking the toll to nine."
As many as 22 people have been rescued so far, he said.
The minister said that a thorough probe will be conducted, and the issue of life jackets, raised by one of the survivors, will also be investigated.
The rescue operation is underway in full swing to trace the missing persons, Lodhi said.
A cruise boat with 29 passengers and two crew members onboard overturned in the Bargi Dam after encountering a sudden storm on Thursday evening, officials said.
The Bargi Dam is constructed on the Narmada River in Jabalpur district.
A search and rescue operation for the missing passengers continued overnight with teams from the Army, NDRF and SDRF joining in, State PWD Minister Rakesh Singh said.
Hydraulic cranes are being used to pull out the cruise boat from the water body, he said.
According to eyewitnesses, strong winds made the water choppy, prompting many on board to raise an alarm and ask the crew to steer the boat back to the banks.
However, the crew was unable to hear these shouts, and the boat drifted and then overturned, they said, adding that some locals rescued a few passengers wearing life jackets with the help of a rope.
