Former Team India batter and skipper Rahul Dravid appointed as head coach of Indian Cricket Team by the BCCI on Wednesday.
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After much deliberations ever since he travelled with the men’s team to Sri Lanka as a head coach earlier this year, former Team India batter and skipper- Rahul Dravid has been appointed as the head coach of the Indian men’s Cricket team (senior) as per the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
As per the BCCI, 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 48-year-old will take charge from the upcoming home series against New Zealand, commencing from November 17, 2021 with the 3-match T20I series at the Sawai Mansingh stadium in Jaipur.
The BCCI had invited applications for the position of the team’s head coach on October 26 to appoint the incumbent coach- Ravi Shastri’s successor, whose term gets over after the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup.
“It is an absolute honour”- Rahul Dravid after being appointed head coach of Indian Cricket team
After having worked with the BCCI at the National Cricket Academy (NCA), India U19 and India A setup, Rahul Dravid termed his appointment as the head coach an absolute honour. He also stated that he’ll work closely with the players and the support staff to achieve the fullest of their potential.
“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. 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”, said Dravid.
Terming him as one of the greats of the game, the current BCCI president Sourav Ganguly also congratulated Dravid upon his appointment.
“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”, exclaimed Ganguly.
It is worth mentioning that after the end of the limited-overs tour of Sri Lanka before the commencement of the ongoing 2021 ICC T20 World Cup, Dravid had not shown much of an interest to take up the coaching responsibilities of the senior men’s team. But, a meeting behind closed doors by people in the positions of authority at the BCCI, purportedly managed to convince the 42-year-old to take charge of the same, as confirmed today by the BCCI.
“I have enjoyed this experience. You know, look, I have not really thought anything far ahead,” exclaimed Dravid after the end of the tour of Sri Lanka in July-August this year.
