The uncertainty around whether Rahul Dravid will continue or not as the head coach of the India men's cricket team still lingers, as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has reportedly offered him an extension, with the tenure being open-ended. (Cricket News)
The BCCI approached Dravid last week and it is yet to be confirmed whether he accepted the offer, as per an ESPNcricinfo report. Continuity seems to be the primary reason for BCCI to seek Dravid's extension, as the structure he had put in place over the last two years might get disrupted otherwise if a new head coach is appointed.
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Another media report suggested that BCCI is keen to have Dravid as coach for the Test series in South Africa. “The BCCI secretary Jay Shah has had discussions with Dravid during last week. Obviously, the fine prints of the new contract are yet to be worked out. But BCCI wants Dravid to go to South Africa with the Test team,” the PTI report quoted a senior BCCI office-bearer as saying.
“The contract will be worked out but the Test series is important and even if he doesn't go for the T20I series in SA, he can join (the team) from the ODIs,” the source went on in the report.
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India's tour of South Africa begins with the white-ball leg from December 10 - there will be three T20 internationals and three ODIs - and will be followed by two Test matches, 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 ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 in June.
Earlier, there was speculation about Dravid's plans for the Indian Premier League 2024. Reports suggested that the former India captain is likely to take over as the mentor of IPL franchise Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) ahead of the 2024 season, and that he is already in talks with LSG regarding the possible move.
Should Dravid not continue as India head coach and join LSG as their mentor, he would replace Gautam Gambhir. Gambhir had confirmed on 22 November that he was leaving LSG and returning to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) as mentor.
Dravid himself has been non-committal on the matter in public. Asked after the defeat in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 final about his future, Dravid said he had not thought about it at all, having been consumed in preparing for the World Cup.
"I haven't thought about it. I have no time to think about this, and no time to reflect on this," Dravid had said. "I will when I get the time to do that. But at this point of time, I was completely focused on this campaign. It was focused on this World Cup, and there was nothing else on my mind. And I haven't given any other thought to what happens in the future."
