Rahul Dravid is the new head coach of Team India
BCCI has appointed Rahul Dravid as the new head coach of Indian cricket team. He will take over the coaching reigns from Ravi Shastri after the end of ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021. His first assignment with the senior side will be the home series against New Zealand which would kick off with the T20I series on November 17. The home series against Blackcaps comprises of three T20 Internationals and two tests (part of ICC World Test Championship).
BCCI’s Cricket Advisory Committee called the decision to appoint Rahul Dravid as the coach as unanimous. There was no mention of other applicants during the announcement.
BCCI president Sourav Ganguly was elated with the appointment of his former team mate as the head coach and welcomed him.
“The BCCI welcomes Rahul Dravid as the Head Coach of India’s senior men team. Rahul has had an illustrious playing career and is one of the greats of the game. He has also served Indian cricket as Head of National Cricket Academy (NCA) with distinction,” BCCI president, Sourav Ganguly said.
“Rahul’s effort at the NCA has nurtured several young cricketing talents who have gone on to represent the country at the international stage. I am hopeful that his new stint will take Indian cricket to new heights.”
Rahul Dravid had been a head coach with the India Under-19s side at 2-16 and 2018 World Cups, where they finished runner-up and champions respectively. Dravid has also been in-charge of the progress of India A sides which produces many future Indian cricketers.
Dravid was appointed as the head of National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru in 2019. He was also the head coach of Team India when India toured Sri Lanka under the leadership of Shikhar Dhawan.
“It is an absolute honour to be appointed as the new Head Coach of the Indian Cricket Team and I am really looking forward to this role. Under Mr Shastri, the team has done very well, and I hope to work with the team to take this forward,” Dravid said on the appointment.
“Having worked closely with most of the boys either at NCA, U19 and India A setup, I know they have the passion and desire to improve everyday. There are some marquee multi-team events in the next two years, and I look forward to working with the players and the support staff to achieve our potential.”
Rahul Dravid was a prolific batsman for Team India – he recorded 13288 Test runs (52.31 average), 10889 ODI runs (39.16 average) and 31 T20I runs (31.00 average) for his country. He also led Team India for a brief period of time recording some memorable overseas test wins.
Meanwhile the new coaching staff is yet to be announced though it was known that Vikram Rathour has reapplied for the role of batting coach.
