BCCI unveils new state-of-art facility called Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. All you need to know about the new base of National Cricket Academy.
Over the years, the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru has stood as the bedrock for the development of cricketers in India. It has played an instrumental role in nurturing the talent, improving the skills, and increasing the physical growth of players. The 24-year-old institution, near the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, is more than a training ground to elevate the sport in India.
From the identification of talent and its development to skill enhancement, injury management, and global exposure, NCA has been the root of India’s cricket. With time, the requirement has grown. Sixteen years after acquiring the land from the Karnataka government, the BCCI inaugurated its new NCA, known as the ‘Centre of Excellence.’
Operations from the existing premises are expected to shift out to the new place. BCCI President Roger Binny and Secretary Jay Shah uncovered the board’s centre for sports science, rehabilitation, and injury management.
Read More: Dravid lauds system for India's cricketing glory; Why BCCI deserves credit on this count?
Key features in BCCI’s Centre of Excellence
The 40-acre campus facility comprises three grounds, built as per the ICC rules to host future first-class games. The indoor facility comprises both red and black soils from the local places, along with pitches from the UK and Australia. The massive outdoor nets area features 45 pitches, with floodlights installed in the main venue.
The sub-air system, broadcast facilities, and 13 red-soil tracks from Mumbai are also present in the main venue. VVS Laxman, the NCA head, expects the ground to be ready to host ‘A’ games. The B and C grounds have practice facilities with 75-yard boundaries with Mandya and Kalahandi black-soil pitches.
Apart from the pool and recovery opportunities, some outdoor athletic tracks are made for athletes of other disciplines. Moreover, seven acres of land have been stored for future expansion.
“I think the beneficiaries will be not only the future generation of cricketers but also the current generation of cricketers,” Laxman said during the media interaction after its inauguration. “I am sure that all the players who come to this facility, all the players who will be part of this Programme will strive to achieve excellence, will strive to become the best they can.”
The ‘South Pavilion’ of the ‘Sports Science and Medicine Block’ also covers giant dressing rooms with a Hall of Fame to celebrate the country’s cricketing legacy. There is an 80-seater meeting room and a 25x12-metre swimming pool. The audio-visual projector offers training sessions and fitness classes. It also has a 16,000-square-foot gym with the latest equipment, where the players can come and work on their physical fitness during the off-season.
Boosting Indian cricket across age groups
For a long time, the BCCI visualised this project as similar to the England Cricket Board’s facility in Loughborough or Cricket Australia’s facility in Brisbane. After crossing several huddles, it finally received clearance in late 2020. Construction work started in early 2022, after the forced delay due to COVID-19.
“The target for completion was 15 months. I was a bit sceptical, but the way work has progressed right from the time construction began has been remarkable. I have been to some of the best academies in the world, not only limited to cricket but other sports also. But I have not seen this kind of a facility.” Laxman highlighted.
In this new institution, every age group can come and practice together, unlike the current NCA. The under-14 and under-19 kids can come and increase their skills together, along with the under-15 women. The Hyderabad-born has also touched on this aspect of the functioning.
“The programs we run, because the way the programs run, all the best performers right from your under-15 for women and under-16 for boys are selected by the national selectors, and from April, during the off-season, until September, we have various programs,” the former India batter elaborated.
The veteran also shed light on the importance of different soils that would help the young players to adapt to various conditions. With this Centre of Excellence, they won’t need to travel from one city to another and still can experience different kinds of pitches.
“With the KSCA, we get the ground to have some of these camps. Whereas here, with three grounds, I think we can have a lot more programs. Also, these grounds can be used to have some India A series, which can be played on these surfaces here,” the 49-year-old explained.
Investment for future
This facility will put India right in the centre of the world map. Based on the performances across formats, they already are at the top, but the development will further brighten their image before the ICC. This will also augur well for different generations.
They will collaborate with the cricket boards of other nations for knowledge exchange, channelling foreign coaches and experts to share their insights on global practices. There will be more initiatives to build the game in less cricket-exposed regions.
This will offer more confidence in constructing more facilities outside Bengaluru. They can carry this in Mumbai or Delhi, which will attract more quality to the game. With the Centre of Excellence, the BCCI can accommodate a lot of people who will get exposure to these opportunities.
For over two decades, the present NCA has played dual roles of being a training centre and a pivotal institution in the game’s ecosystem. This new facility is expected to identify more raw talents and refine them into world-class players. It’s an enormous step towards larger success.
Comments