Rahul Dravid Appointed As India Cricket Team Head Coach

Rahul Dravid will take charge of the Indian national cricket team after the end of the ICC T20 World Cup 2021.

Updated on: 3 November 2021 10:15 pm

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Wednesday (November 3) formally appointed former captain and batting great, Rahul Dravid as the head coach of the men's team. (More Cricket News)

The BCCI had invited applications for the position on October 17. And Dravid applied for the poston October 26. His tenure is for two years, till the 2023 50-over World Cup. India's home series against New Zealand, starting November 17, will be his first assignment in the new role.

"The Cricket Advisory Committee comprising Ms Sulakshana Naik and Mr RP Singh on Wednesday unanimously appointed Mr Rahul Dravid as the Head Coach of Team India (Senior Men). The former India captain will take charge from the upcoming home series against New Zealand," BCCI said in a release.

As reported earlier, Dravid will replace Ravi Shastri as the head coach after the ICC T20 World Cup. Dravid had agreed to the BCCI's offer after initial reluctance.

Widely credited for creating India's talent pool, Dravid was the head of the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru.

"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," Dravid said.

The 47-year-old also thanked his predecessor Shastri, saying the "team has done very well" under the former all-rounder.

In a glittering playing career, the former batter, who also occasionally kept wickets, played 164 Tests and 344 ODIs, scoring 13288 and 10889 runs respectively. He played a lone T20I, against England scoring 31. The right-handed batter has 40 international hundreds. He retired in 2012.

BCCI president Sourav Ganguly, in his congratulatory message, said: "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."