Wall at the Helm

India batting stalwart and former captain Rahul Dravid is all set to take over as the national team’s head coach following the T20 World Cup, having agreed to the BCCI’s offer after initial reluctance.

The 48-year-old Dravid, one of the greatest ever to have played for India, has been in charge of the national ‘A’ and U-19 set-up for the past six years. He currently heads the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru and was in Dubai during the IPL to meet his former teammate and BCCI president Sourav Ganguly, and Board secretary Jay Shah for an elaborate discussion.

“Yes, Rahul has agreed to coach the India team till 2023 World Cup. Initially, he was reluctant but it is understood that Ganguly and Shah had a meeting with Rahul on the sidelines of the IPL final, where they were able to convince him,” a BCCI official said. “It won’t be an interim role,” he added.

When he was asked about the development ahead of the T20 World Cup, India captain Virat Kohli said he has “no idea exactly what’s happening”. “No detailed discussion with anyone yet,” Kohli said. Dravid’s trusted lieutenant Paras Mhambrey is expected to be the bowling coach while Vikram Rathour is likely to continue as the batting coach.

However, it is understood that the BCCI would nonetheless give an advertisement for the position to ensure that due process is followed. The Board mandarins are mulling over how to make the best use of Dravid’s vast knowledge of talent resource. His role may be a more holistic one rather than just being confined to the chief coach. When Ganguly took charge of the BCCI, he had spoken about the synergy he wanted between the national team, age-group teams as well as the NCA.

Shastri was in charge of the side at a fee of Rs 8.5 crore and it is understood that the BCCI is offering Dravid a significant hike. The basic idea behind having the Dravid-Mhambrey combination in the India team set-up is to ensure that in another two years, when the transition in the current team happens, the changing of nucleus is smooth.