It’s an absolute honour to be appointed head coach, Rahul Dravid says
Former Indian captain to start his stint with New Zealand series at home
Dubai: Former India captain Rahul Dravid will take over as the head coach of the senior Indian team at the end of the current Twenty20 World Cup in the UAE.
“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,” the former Indian batsman, dubbed as The Wall, said in a media advisory released by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
Dravid, who has been the coach of the India Under-19 team, India-A and the Head of the National Cricket Academy, has now chalked out his plan for the next few years and is eager to take the team forward.
“Having worked closely with most of the boys either at NCA, U19 and India A set-up, 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.”
The Cricket Advisory Committee comprising on Wednesday unanimously appointed 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.
Sourav Ganguly, BCCI President and former Indian captain, will resume the partnership he began with Dravid at Lord’s Test in June 1996. Dravid forged an important partnership with fellow debutant Ganguly, who scored his maiden Test century while Dravid fell short of the magic mark by five runs.
The BCCI had invited applications for the said position on October 26 to appoint Mr Ravi Shastri’s successor, whose term gets over after the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup. It is understood that Ganguly convinced Dravid to take up the job during a meeting in Dubai, before the final of the Indian Premier League Season 14.
Ganguly. who along with Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman was part of the Fab Four for Indian batting, in his statement said: “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.”
The Indian board also thanked the current team management under Shastri. “The Board congratulates Shastri (former Team Director & Head Coach), B. Arun (Bowling Coach), R. Sridhar (Fielding Coach) and Vikram Rathour (Batting Coach) on a successful tenure. Under Shastri, the Indian Cricket Team adopted a bold and fearless approach and performed creditably both in home and away conditions. India climbed to the top position in the Test format and made it to the final of the inaugural World Test Championship in England.”
The statement went on to add the highlights of the Indian team during the four-year stint under Shastri, who was appointed by the Cricket Advisory Committee in 2017. “India became the first Asian team to win a Test series in Australia (2018-19) and followed it with another series win in 2020-21. India were also the first team to win all 5 T20Is in a bilateral series when it blanked New Zealand 5-0. Under Shastri and his team’s guidance, India won all their seven Test series at home,” the statement added.