VVS Laxman to Wield New Power Over Team India in Fresh Director of Cricket Role

A new chain of command for Team India

VVS Laxman is set to take on a newly created Director of Cricket role with the BCCI, a position reported to carry four major responsibilities and sit outside the existing head coach and chief selector structure. It is a significant shake-up in how India's men's team is run behind the scenes, adding another powerful voice to a set-up that already includes a head coach and a chief selector panel.

The timing matters. India are dealing with persistent injury concerns around key players, with a former India cricketer quoted as saying it is 'not fair on a young captain like Shubman Gill' to be managing those fitness worries on top of leading the side. A dedicated Director of Cricket, working above the day-to-day coaching staff, looks like the BCCI's answer to exactly that kind of problem: giving someone senior the remit to oversee player workload, transitions and long-term planning rather than leaving it all on the captain's plate.

Why this role, why now

Laxman is no stranger to India's cricketing infrastructure. He has already had a long association with the NCA (National Cricket Academy), and moving him into a formal Director of Cricket post suggests the BCCI wants continuity and cricketing nous at the top table rather than another administrator. The exact four responsibilities have not been spelled out in full, but the framing, distinct from the head coach and chief selector, points to a role focused on the bigger picture: succession planning, workload management, and possibly bridging selection with long-term strategy.

This comes at a sensitive moment for Indian cricket. Gill is a young captain still finding his feet, the side is dealing with rotating injury lists, and there is an ongoing debate about how much is being asked of a new leader without the senior support structure past captains enjoyed. A Director of Cricket with genuine authority could ease that burden, but it also raises questions about where power now sits: does Laxman outrank the head coach on cricketing matters, or is this a purely advisory brief?

What happens next

Expect confirmation of the finer details of Laxman's mandate to follow, along with clarity on how this role interacts with the existing coaching staff and selectors. For Gill and the current India set-up, the hope will be that a senior figure with playing pedigree can take some of the strategic weight off a young captaincy already under scrutiny. For the BCCI, it is a structural bet that clearer lines of responsibility, rather than more layers of bureaucracy, will fix the problems that have been quietly building around the national side.