Ex-India captain Rahul Dravid will be the successor to Ravi Shastri, the BCCI announced in the statement. The India A coach will start his tenure in the home series against New Zealand.
Dravid has been appointed as the new India head coach for a two-year stint. Despite being known for his impressive defensive techniques during his playing career, the 48-year-old is no stranger when it comes to coaching teams.
He has previously worked with Indian players at NCA, U-19 and India A levels. Dravid will have an added advantage as a lot of the younger national team members and upcoming cricketers have worked under him in the past.
“It is an absolute honour to be appointed as the new head coach of the Indian cricket team, I am really looking forward to this role. 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,”
he told BCCI.
He also stated that the team has done ‘very well’ under Ravi Shastri, and he hopes to take this process forward. The appointment of Dravid for the top job was a mere formality. BCCI president Sourav Ganguly requested his former teammate to apply for the post.
Once “The Wall” sent a formal application, it was just a matter of time before the advisory committee gave the approval. Former India swing bowler RP Singh and Sulakshana Naik are a part of the advisory committee, and they confirmed Dravid’s much-awaited appointment on Wednesday.
“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 president Sourav Ganguly said after Dravid’s appointment had been made public.
With a change in head coach, there will also be a subsequent alteration within the coaching staff. Bharat Arun is likely to be replaced by Paras Mhambrey, who has worked with Dravid before. Vikram Rathour, who is the current batting coach, has confirmed his re-application for the post. Ajay Ratra and Abhay Sharma are both in the running for the fielding coach position.
Earlier this year, Rahul Dravid had worked as an interim coach for the Sri Lanka tour. At the same time, the main team was in England for the WTC final. Since then, speculations were rife about Dravid being the next head coach. Shastri has done a fine job, especially in the longer format of the game. However, the need for change is visible and this is the right time to do so.
Ravi Shastri had replaced former India leg-spinner, Anil Kumble, back in 2017. Shastri’s major achievement was to beat Australia Down Under. India not only became the first Asian side to do that, but also repeated the feat earlier this year. Another major achievement under Shastri was that of reaching the final of the World Test Championship.
Overall, it is fair to say that his stint was a fruitful one as it came during a transitional phase in Indian cricket. A lot of young players such as Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, Shardul Thakur have grown in prominence under the tutelage of Ravi Shastri.
India will play New Zealand and South Africa during the first two months of Dravid’s reign. Following that, India will host Sri Lanka, West Indies and South Africa as a part of the home season for 2021-22.
One of Dravid’s major challenges will be to oversee the captaincy change hands in the T20I format. There is also a rumour that the Royal Challengers Bangalore batsman might relinquish his ODI captaincy, but that story is yet to unfold.
