By: Sattwik Biswal
RAHUL DRAVID has been officially appointed head coach of Team India and will succeed Ravi Shastri after the ongoing T20 World Cup in the UAE. He will take charge from the upcoming New Zealand home series, which starts November 17.
“The Cricket Advisory Committee comprising Sulakshana Naik and RP Singh on Wednesday unanimously appointed Rahul Dravid as the Head Coach of Team India (Senior Men),” the BCCI said in a statement.
Dravid, who played 164 Tests and 344 one-dayers between 1996 and 2012 and accumulated more than 10,000 runs in both formats, was previously in charge of India’s under-19 and ‘A’ teams and is credited for a steady supply of young talent as head of the National Cricket Academy.
“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 Ravi 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,” Dravid said.
Sourav Ganguly, president, BCCI and Dravid’s former teammate, said: “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.”
BCCI secretary Jay Shah said there was no better person than Dravid to succeed Shastri.
“With two World Cups scheduled to take place in the next two years, it is important to have a seamless transition, and the former India captain is the right man for the job,” Shah said.
Shah added the BCCI will soon make appointments of other coaching staff who will support Dravid.
