Former India captain Rahul Dravid has been appointed as the head coach of the senior Indian men's cricket team, said the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Wednesday. Dravid will take charge from the upcoming home series against New Zealand, starting with the T20Is from November 17.
"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 in a statement.
Dravid will take over from Ravi Shastri, whose tenure comes to an end after the ongoing ICC Men's T20 World Cup. The decision to appoint Dravid was taken by the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), comprising of former India wicketkeeper Sulakshana Naik and former India pacer RP Singh.
"The BCCI welcomes Rahul Dravid as the Head Coach of India's senior men's 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," said BCCI president and former India captain Sourav Ganguly.
Once Dravid's name came into the reckoning, he was seen as the overwhelming favourite for the top job. After he applied for the job formally after the BCCI invited applications from October 26, his appointment was seen as a foregone conclusion. Dravid's appointment as the head coach of the Indian men's team also means that the BCCI will need to appoint a new head for the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru, which was being headed by Dravid.
"There is no better person than Rahul Dravid and I am delighted to see him being appointed as the Head Coach of the Indian Cricket Team. 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. Having provided the much-needed direction to NCA and overseen the progression of the boys at India U-19 and India A level, we believe this is also a natural progression for him as a coach. I have no doubt that under him, the Indian team will dominate in all formats. The Board will soon make appointments of other coaching staff, who will support the Head Coach in jointly achieving our targets," said BCCI secretary Jay Shah.