Former batting stars Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and V.V.S. Laxman were included in the newly-formed cricket advisory committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur took to Twitter to confirm the news. “Gr8 start to the day! Conference call w/ legends @sachin_rt @VVSLaxman281 & Saurav Ganguly who will form @BCCI Cricket Advisory Committee,” he tweeted.

“I welcome & thank @sachin_rt Saurav Ganguly @VVSLaxman281 fr joining @BCCI. Privileged to hv yur guidance & support, as we start a new inning!,” he wrote.

Before the move, the BCCI on April 26 had said that the committee members “will share their recommendations on the overall conduct and development of the game”.

However, it is still not clear what roles the legends will play. It has been widely speculated that Ganguly will become the Indian team’s high-performance manager and it will be interesting to see who will be given that role.

The three former cricketers, who played for India 1989-2013 are expected to have their say on the selection of coaches and other matters for the development of cricket.

Interestingly, the BCCI is yet to appoint a new head coach following Duncan Fletcher’s departure and the absence of former captain Rahul Dravid from this committee, has fuelled further rumours.

Many feel that the inclusion of former Ganguly, Tendulkar and Laxman — who have played 447 Test matches among them, is certainly a big move as India head into a critical phase wherein their Test team will be captained by a young Virat Kohli, while Mahendra Singh Dhoni will continue to lead in the shorter formats.

“Very good that @sachin_rt, @VVSLaxman281 and @SGanguly99 are on an advisory panel for @BCCI . Will wait to see what their specific roles are,” ace commentator Harsha Bhogle tweeted.