Rahul Dravid doesn’t need to audition for Team India head coach’s position: Ajit Agarkar

Although Rahul Dravid retired from international arena in 2012, his contribution towards the betterment of Indian cricket continued. He stepped into the coach’s shoes and groomed the youngsters during his tenure with the India Under-19 and India A teams. In fact, it won’t be wrong to say that Dravid deserves credit for the massive bench strength India boasts of today. Dravid is currently filling in as coach of the national team and many eyes are on him.

The former Indian captain has travelled to Sri Lanka with the limited-overs team as an interim coach. While Dravid’s current contract is temporary, it’s believed that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is viewing him as current head coach Ravi Shastri’s successor. For the unversed, Shastri’s current contract will expire after the T20 World Cup later this year.

In case, his contract is not renewed, Dravid is expected to take the position at the helm. However, former Indian pacer Ajit Agarkar is of a slightly different opinion. Agarkar refused to see the Sri Lanka series as an audition of Dravid’s coaching skills. He also asserted that Ravi Shastri hasn’t done much wrong in his tenure.

Ravi Shastri has not been doing anything wrong: Ajit Agarkar

“I think Rahul needs no audition. Ravi Shastri has not been doing anything wrong except that loss in the World Test Championship (WTC) final. The Under-19 team has benefited, other coaches at the NCA and state associations have also helped him (Rahul Dravid),” Agarkar said while speaking on Sony Liv’s pre-match show.

Sanjay Manjrekar, who was part of the same panel, echoed Agarkar’s views and opined that he’s not sure if Dravid is even competing for the crucial position at all.

“I am not sure if Rahul is vying for that position,” Manjrekar said. Meanwhile, Shastri was appointed Team India head coach in 2017. Under his guidance, Team India has enjoyed a sensational run and even won the Test series in Australia twice.

However, in this period, the Virat Kohli-led side also lost the 2019 World Cup and the World Test Championship. India did advance to the knock-out stage in both competitions but failed to cross the final hurdle. Hence, it would be interesting to see if Shastri will continue after the T20 World Cup or Dravid will succeed him.