Reports: Rahul Dravid to take over as Team India head coach
Former Indian batter Rahul Dravid is likely to been appointed as Team India’s head coach and he will be succeeding Ravi Shastri, whose tenure at the helm ends after the 2021 edition of the T20 World Cup in the UAE. As per reports, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly and honorary secretary Jay Shah had a meeting with Dravid in Dubai and pleaded him to take charge of the national team.
The development surrounding Dravid’s appointment was put forth by a BCCI official after the end of the 2021 Indian Premier League final on Friday, October 15. Dravid was the head coach of Team India that toured Sri Lanka a couple of months ago for a bilateral ODI and T20I series. It has also been learned that Dravid’s will discontinue his stint as the head of the National Cricket Academy.
Rahul Dravid on a two-year contract with Team India
“Dravid has confirmed he will be the next head coach of the Indian team. He will be stepping down as the head of the NCA soon,” the official was quoted as saying to The Times of India.
As per reports, Dravid, also known as ‘The Wall’ of Indian cricket, has been roped in on a two-year contract and he will draw a salary of INR 10 crores.
Team India have also appointed lieutenant Paras Mhambrey as their bowling coach, replacing Bharat Arun. Even as Vikram Rathour has been persisted with as the batting coach, the decision on who should replace fielding coach R Sridhar hasn’t been made just yet.
Dravid and India’s new coaching staff are expected to assume responsibility from India’s home campaign against New Zealand that starts after the World Cup.
“He was re-appointed as the NCA head last month. But the BCCI needed a strong candidate to take Indian cricket forward. He has worked so hard to develop the next line of Indian cricketers. Even Mhambrey knows this next lot of players like the back of his hand.
“So, Ganguly and Shah thought it would be best if they could bring both of them on board. They will assume charge from the New Zealand series after the World Cup,” the source added.
