One of the most surprising development in recent times, former India skipper Rahul Dravid has agreed to be appointed as the head coach of the Indian men’s senior team. The latest reports of ANI suggested that the decision seems to be finalized on the sidelines of the final of the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Friday night.
Speaking to ANI, sources in the know of developments confirmed that the NCA head, Rahul Dravid has agreed to take over as the national team coach. The source said, “Dravid has agreed and it cannot get better. The other positions will now be looked into while Vikram stays as the batting coach.”
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He further added, “The Indian team is in a state of transition with youngsters coming in and they have all worked with Dravid and it will be all the easier for Indian cricket to continue on its path to becoming world-beaters on the pitch.”
TOI can also confirm that Dravid’s trusted lieutenant Paras Mhambrey has been appointed as the bowling coach. No decision has been made on the replacement for fielding coach R Sridhar. TOI’s source explained, “He (Dravid) 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.”
Rahul Dravid was always the preferred choice for the BCCI but it looks like it took Secretary Jay Shah and President Sourav Ganguly managed to find the former captain to become the full-time coach after traveling to Sri Lanka with the team for the limited-overs series recently during the main team’s tour of England.
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The ANI source also informed, “Jay and Sourav spoke to him and it was about Dravid being convinced because it does need a lot of time as you need to be on the go constantly. But things went well and Dravid has always kept the interest of the Indian cricket on the top so it made things easier as the team would do well to have someone like him guiding the boys.”
Rahul Dravid was happy with his responsibilities at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) as he has family responsibilities in Bangalore, and his children are still in school. However, BCCI still convinced him to take up the new role. Informing the same, one of the sources of the Times of India said, “The Board told him, he can’t continue at the NCA at the same salary. It’s not feasible. And moreover, the BCCI has not been able to find a coach of similar stature. If he wants to continue working with Indian cricket, then taking the Team India job is going to be his only option.”
TOI’s reports also confirmed that BCCI asked Ricky Ponting to come on board and the former Australian captain refused. The Indian candidates in the fray were Anil Kumble and VVS Laxman. The source informed, “Rahul was the only ideal candidate. The challenge was making him agree to it. Truth be told, there’s no other choice.”
Current coach Ravi Shastri’s tenure will come to an end after the conclusion of the T20 World Cup that gets underway on Sunday. The BCCI is hosting the tournament in Oman and UAE.
