VVS Laxman to coach Team India on the Ireland tour - Reports

Former Indian cricketer VVS Laxman will be the stop-gap coach for the Men in Blue on their tour of Ireland next month, an ESPNCricinfo report claimed.

Laxman will fill in for regular coach Rahul Dravid, who will be busy with preparations for India's rescheduled fifth Test against England.

Dravid will be with the Test squad, which will play a practice game in Leicester from June 24-27, before they move to Birmingham for the ultimate showdown, starting July 1.

Incidentally, Laxman is currently the Director of Cricket at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru. He was appointed after Dravid was elevated to India head coach last year.

VVS Laxman has previously been part of IPL side SunRisers Hyderabad's coaching staff and also traveled with India U19 squad for the World Cup earlier this year.

The 47-year-old former cricketer has also worked as a batting consultant for the Bengal side on the domestic circuit.

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India to leave for England on June 15

Rohit Sharma and Co. are likely to leave for the United Kingdom on June 15. The Asian Giants, who are currently 2-1 ahead in the series, will aim to win in a Test tour in England for the first time since 2007.

Meanwhile, the selectors are likely to pick two different squads for the five T20Is against South Africa and the tour of England. The T20Is against the Proteas are scheduled to run between June 9-19.

Incidentally, the selection panel had picked two different teams for the limited-overs series against Sri Lanka and the Test series against England last year.

While Virat Kohli captained the side in the UK, Shikhar Dhawan was appointed as the captain on the white-ball tour of the island nation.

However, it remains to be seen if the national selection committee picks the same squad for South Africa and Ireland T20Is, which are slated to take place in a gap of one week.