VVS Laxman will be next NCA head, confirms BCCI official
New Delhi, Nov 14: Former India batter VVS Laxman will be the next head of the National Cricket Academy (NCA), a senior BCCI official confirmed on Sunday.
Laxman will take over from his former batting colleague Rahul Dravid, who was recently appointed as chief coach of the Indian team following the end of Ravi Shastri's tenure, as reported by PTI on October 26.
"VVS Laxman will be the new head of NCA," the senior BCCI official told PTI on the condition of anonymity.
Laxman has already quit from his role as mentor of IPL team Sunrisers Hyderabad and will also not be part of any commentary panel or write columns for newspapers to avoid conflict of interest clause violation.
It is understood that Laxman's appointment will come into effect before the BCCI's Annual General Meeting (AGM), scheduled to be held in Kolkata on December 4.
Laxman had initially declined the BCCI's offer as he was reluctant to shift base from Hyderabad as the NCA job will require him to stay in Bengaluru for a minimum of 200 days.
The two stalwarts of Indian cricket -- Laxman and Dravid -- will now work in tandem as the BCCI wants a smooth co-ordination between the India chief coach and the NCA head.
As part of his job, Laxman will also oversee preparations of the India U-19 and 'A' teams which are pathways to the senior level.
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India & Israel elevate ties to special strategic partnership, vow to soon conclude free trade deal
Jerusalem (PTI): India and Israel on Thursday elevated their "time-tested" relationship to a special strategic partnership and agreed to soon firm up a "mutually beneficial" free trade deal even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi strongly backed the Gaza peace initiative, asserting that humanity must never become a victim of conflict.
Following talks between Modi and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, the two sides inked a plethora of agreements to expand cooperation in areas of trade, agriculture, energy, cyberspace and digital payment.
India and Israel also vowed to expand their already close defence partnership by working towards joint development and joint production of military hardware under the framework of the transfer of technologies.
In his media statement, Modi said India's security interest is linked to peace and stability in the Middle East, adding that New Delhi fully supports the Gaza Peace Initiative.
"India's stance is clear: humanity must never become a victim of conflict. A path to peace has been created through the Gaza Peace Plan. India has fully supported these efforts," he said.
"In the future as well, we will continue dialogue and cooperation with all countries," he said.
PM Modi landed in Israel on Wednesday on a two-day visit. It is his second visit to Israel in nine years.
In his remarks, the prime minister said India and Israel have a united view that there is no place for terrorism in the world and both sides stand shoulder-to-shoulder in countering terrorism and its supporters.
"Our relationship is founded on the strong bedrock of deep trust, shared democratic values, and human sensitivities. Our bond has stood the test of every trial of time," he said.
"Today, we have taken the historic decision to elevate our time-tested partnership to the status of a 'Special Strategic Partnership'," he said.
The prime minister also announced the establishment of an India-Israel critical and emerging technologies partnership to impart a new momentum for cooperation in areas of artificial intelligence, quantum, and critical minerals. "I am pleased that an agreement has been reached for the use of UPI in Israel," he said.
The prime minister, referring to the threat of terrorism, said India and Israel will continue to confront the menace unitedly.
"India and Israel are completely clear that there is no place for terrorism in the world. In any form, in any expression, terrorism cannot be accepted," he said.
"We have stood shoulder-to-shoulder in opposing terrorism and its supporters, and we will continue to do so," he added.
India and Israel also discussed the implementation of the India-Middle East Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) and cooperation under the framework of I2U2 (India-Israel-UAE-USA).
