Indian
cricket board (BCCI) president Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah Monday
laid the foundation stone for the new National Cricket Academy (NCA) in
Bengaluru. The BCCI has secured the land on a 99-year lease.

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“The
new National cricket Academy starts from today ..laid the foundation stone of
the new place today in Bengaluru,” Ganguly tweeted and also shared images
of the ceremony.

“Laid
the foundation stone for @BCCI’s new NCA. It is our collective vision to have a
Centre of Excellence which nurtures talent and supports the cricket ecosystem in
India,” Shah wrote on his Twitter handle.

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The
event was attended by BCCI vice president Rajeev Shukla, treasurer Arun Dhumal,
joint secretary Jayesh George and NCA head VVS Laxman. Since the NCA came into
being in 2000, it has been running from the premises of the M. Chinnaswamy
Stadium in the heart of the city.

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The
Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), the patron of the stadium, had
given the ground to the BCCI to run the NCA’s outdoor practice. The facility has an indoor
practice facility and a separate space for a modern gymnasium.

The
new facility, which is expected to be ready in a year’s time, will have three
grounds where domestic matches can be held.

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In
December last, former India batter VVS Laxman began his stint as the new head
of the NCA, replacing Rahul Dravid, who was appointed head coach of the Indian
cricket team. Dravid replaced Ravi Shastri whose tenure as India head coach
ended after the T20 World Cup. He was also directly involved with the Indian
developmental teams which include India A, India Under-19, India Under-23
teams.

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Laxman
left his role as the mentor of Indian Premier League franchise SunRisers
Hyderabad and commentary responsibilities to work at the NCA.

The
NCA is the place where youngsters are groomed while the senior cricketers spend
time recovering from injuries.