The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has appointed former Indian skipper Rahul Dravid as the new head coach of Team India. The 48-year-old will replace Ravi Shastri after the ongoing T20 World Cup 2021.
“The Cricket Advisory Committee comprising Ms Sulakshana Naik and Mr RP Singh on Wednesday unanimously appointed Mr Rahul Dravid as the Head Coach of Team India (Senior Men). The former India captain will take charge from the upcoming home series against New Zealand,” the BCCI said in a press release.
Dravid was reported to have met BCCI President Sourav Ganguly and Secretary Jay Shah after the 2021 IPL final in Dubai and there they convinced him to take up the job.
“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. 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,” Ganguly said.
Dravid has previously coached the India Under-19 side at the 2016 World Cup and 2018 World Cup, where they finished runners-up and champions respectively. The batting legend has also overseen the progress of the India A sides until 2019, when he was appointed the head of the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru.
“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 his 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 every day. 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.”
