Home Cricket News BCCI offers to extend Rahul Dravid’s tenure as head coach

BCCI offers to extend Rahul Dravid’s tenure as head coach

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BCCI offers to extend Rahul Dravid’s tenure as head coach


In a move indicating continuity, the BCCI has offered Rahul Dravid an extension to continue as India’s head coach. ESPNcricinfo has learned that the BCCI approached Dravid last week and that the duration of the extension was indefinite.

However, it is yet to be confirmed whether Dravid accepted the offer. It is learned that a crucial reason why the BCCI was interested in sticking with Dravid was to ensure continuity of the structure he had put in place over the last two years, which might otherwise have been disrupted if a new head coach had been appointed.

But if Dravid accepts the offer, his first assignment in his second stint will be India’s tour of South Africa, which begins with the white-ball leg from December 10 (there will be three T20Is and ODIs each) and will be followed by two Tests, in Centurion (from December 26) and Cape Town (from January 3). Then there is the five-match Test series against England at home, before the T20 World Cup in June.

Dravid replaced Ravi Shastri after the T20 World Cup in 2021, and was appointed for a two-year stint that recently ended with the ODI World Cup, where India finished as runners-up. That was the joint-best result for India in ICC events under Dravid as coach, after they also lost to Australia in June in the World Test Championship final. Before that, India was defeated by England in the semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2022.

If Dravid continues, he is also expected to retain the same set of assistant coaches he joined in 2021 – Vikram Rathour (batting coach), Paras Mhambrey (bowling coach) and T Dilip (fielding coach).

Speaking after the World Cup final defeat, Dravid said he was proud of India being ranked number one in all three formats, although the absence of a world trophy was a “disappointment”. When asked more than once if he would like to continue in the job, Dravid said that he had not thought about it at all, as he had been consumed with preparing for the World Cup.

“I haven’t thought about it. I have no time to think about this, no time to reflect on this,” Dravid had said. “I will do it when I have time to do it. But right now, I was completely focused on this campaign. I was focused on this World Cup, and I didn’t have anything else in mind. And I haven’t given any other thoughts about what will happen in the future.”

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