Reports | WV Raman, Laxmi Ratan Shukla to be included among the newly-formed Bengal coaching staff

According to Press Trust of India, former India opener WV Raman will be back in charge of the Bengal cricket team, although this time as a 'batting consultant' for the upcoming season. Former Bengal skipper Laxmi Ratan Shukla is set to be the head coach alongside him, the report further suggested. Shukla will replace Arun Lal, who stepped down from the head coach position at the end of the last season.

Lal did well as Bengal coach, taking the team to the 2019-20 Ranji Trophy final and guiding the side to the semifinal the last term. However, after Bengal lost to Madhya Pradesh in the final-four stage, the 66-year-old decided to step down, citing “fatigue”.

"Shukla will be appointed the chief coach of the Bengal team tomorrow. He has been our U-25 coach and most of the players share a good rapport with Shukla, who has been a fighter all his life. He is expected to bring in fresh ideas into the Bengal set-up," a senior Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) official confirmed the news to PTI on Monday.

"Raman has accepted the offer. He would be a part of various camps but won't be available during the tournament as that was the flexibility that both parties agreed to. CAB president Avishek Dalmiya called Raman and asked him if he is available, and he instantly agreed to don the consultant's hat. Raman has worked as Bengal's head coach in two different stints and he is very familiar with the set-up. He is basically going to replace VVS Laxman, who was the head of Bengal's Vision 20-20 programme."

Shukla, 41, played three ODIs for India, as well as 137 first-class games and 141 List A matches for Bengal. He has been in charge of the Bengal U-23 team and is now expected to be the head of the senior side. He is quite a popular figure among ardent Bengal cricket fans as well as among the players.