Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) officials discussed Rahul Dravid’s future as the team’s head coach as his contract ends after the 2023 ODI World Cup. The Men in Blue had some great performances in the main event under his coaching, but fell short of the title they deserved in their home country.
During his tenure as head coach, Rahul Dravid played a major role in the team’s success and the team achieved some historic feats under his leadership. Officials said they respect the decision taken by the former Indian captain regarding his desire to remain in the Indian team.
The cricket that the Indian team played under him, especially in the ODI World Cup, led many to ask him to accept a new contract. According to a BCCI source reported by TOI, the board is confident that the new coach will be able to easily build the team based on Dravid’s decision as the 2024 T20 World Cup is scheduled for next year.
“Rahul and the BCCI have discussed the current situation and we respect his decision. The T20 World Cup is about 7-8 months away and a new coach will lead the team The general consensus is that there is time to build and set up the process. He (Dravid) knows that very well,” a BCCI official said
After the controversy over Virat Kohli’s captaincy, Rahul Dravid replaced Ravi Shastri to get the Indian team back on track. The former Indian captain fostered great camaraderie among the players. His coaching performance was not exceptional, but helped the team find the right combination, although it fell short of the ICC World Test Championship and his ODI World Cup title.
VVS Laxman is currently the head coach of the Indian cricket team in the T20I series against Australia. He often took charge in the absence of regular head coach Rahul Dravid. BCCI officials said talks are underway to continue with the current coach-captain pairing.
“We are also discussing whether there needs to be continuity (with the current combination of coaches and captains) for the (T20) World Cup. We will make a decision soon so that the path forward is clear. I’m thinking of lowering it.”
“(The head coach) has options. He (Laxman) is familiar with the team, the players and the way things are done. He also has experience working with the national team,” the BCCI official added.
Reports suggest that Rahul Dravid may join IPL franchises Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) as a mentor for IPL 2024. It remains to be seen what role he will play with the Indian team > National Cricket Academy(NCA) in the future.
