Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Oct.16: Former India captain Rahul Dravid, who has been quietly working behind the scenes to improve Indian cricket’s supply line, may have finally decided to go forward and become the team’s head coach. Dravid’s meeting with top BCCI officials in Dubai went well on Thursday, and if all goes as planned, the application and interview procedure that follows might become a procedural formality.
“We’ll be putting out advertisements for the head coach as soon as possible. I believe we have persuaded Rahul that he should now actively participate in the Indian national team,” a BCCI official stated.
Dravid will take over the baton from Ravi Shastri following the end of the T20 World Cup in October-November for a two-year stint if he agrees.
For many years, Dravid has been BCCI’s top option for head coach. Dravid may have gotten the role before Anil Kumble acquired it in 2016, and Ravi Shastri returned in 2017. However, he graciously declined and returned to his job with the India A and U-19 teams, as well as the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore.
Despite what appears to be a late change of heart on Dravid’s part, the BCCI is said to have never lost up on the former India captain. Dravid had been in talks with the BCCI since July, when he was named coach of India’s white-ball team and flew to Sri Lanka. The BCCI was also aggressively discussing Virat Kohli’s workload as captain around the same period. Dravid hadn’t said ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ to becoming a full-time coach at the time. In a post-series conference from Sri Lanka, Dravid said, “There are a lot of obstacles handling full-time roles, so I honestly don’t know.” “I’m having fun with what I’m doing.”
Dravid’s time at the NCA had come to an end, despite the fact that he was working from his home in Bangalore. He applied for an extension, and the board agreed to keep him on, although his reappointment was never announced publicly. “The offer to come in as the coach was always there,” the official stated. In truth, during Dravid’s discussions for the NCA post, BCCI told him that his skills may be employed on a case-by-case basis for the India squad.
Meanwhile, BCCI kept looking for alternatives. Mahela Jayawardene and Ricky Ponting, the two overseas coaches that were considered, were content with their two-month tenure in the IPL. BCCI went to Dravid again after failing to identify a suitable candidate of stature, and it now appears that he has consented to join the team.
The 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia, the 2023 ODI World Cup at home, and the 2023 World Test Championship final are all major ticket events in international cricket over the following two years.
