Rahul Dravid has been appointed as the head coach of the Indian cricket team as Ravi Shastri’s successor. The Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) contract with current India coach Ravi Shastri will expire after the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Dravid’s first job as coach of the Indian Men’s cricket team will begin with a home series against New Zealand.
Sourav Ganguly, a former teammate and current BCCI president, has welcomed Dravid as the team’s new head coach. He said that Dravid’s cricket career was remarkable. Praising him, Ganguly stated that he is one of the best cricketers in the world.
Dravid was the chief director of the National Cricket Academy (NCA). Appreciating Dravid’s contribution as the head of the NCA, Sourav said that Dravid had nurtured many young cricketers well, and many of them are playing international cricket. Under him, the Indian team will reach another height.
Dravid coached India in the 2016 and 2018 Under-19 World Cups. In 2016, the team came very close to winning the tournament and finished up as runners-up, but in 2018, the Indian youth became the champions. Dravid is also excited about his role as India’s head coach. He sees this as a great honour for him. The team has played very well under Shastri, and in his time, he will want to maintain this continuity.
Kohli’s aggressive cricket under Ravi Shastri has been admired all over the world. India has also won the Test series in Australia and England. But India couldn’t win any global tournament under Shastri. This time, India did not have a good start in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. They have been eliminated in the semi-finals of the 2019 World Cup, reached the final of the 2017 Champions Trophy but lost to arch-rivals Pakistan. After Pakistan, Kohli and Co. lost to New Zealand, reaching the semi-finals is now under threat.
ICC Men’s World Cup will be held in Australia, followed by the ODI World Cup on Indian soil next year. Dravid is eyeing such international tournaments, including those two tournaments. He said there would be some tremendous multinational tournaments in the next two years. He is looking forward to working with other coaches to achieve success according to the team’s potential.
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