Ravi Shastri’s tenure as the head coach of the Indian men’s cricket team is all set to come to an end after the conclusion of the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 in UAE this year. Shastri had replaced Anil Kumble as the full-time head coach in 2017 and has since combined well with captain Virat Kohli to make India a dominant force across formats.
Shastri’s contract had expired in August 2019 but the former India all-rounder was given a two-year extension by the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC). His current contract with the Indian team will run down post the T20 World Cup. Several big names will be in contention to replace Shastri as the head coach with Rahul Dravid’s name doing the rounds of late.
Dravid, who is known for his amazing work with India A and the U-19 teams, is often credited to have nurtured India’s current strong bench and played a significant role in the rise of several youngsters. Dravid served as India’s stand-in head coach on their limited-overs tour of Sri Lanka earlier this year in the absence of Ravi Shastri.
However, Ganguly said Dravid is currently not interested in taking over as the head coach full-time but the board has not opened talks with him over the matter specifically.
“I understand he’s not interested (in the job) on a permanent basis.… But we haven’t asked him about it specifically. We will see when we come to it,” Ganguly told The Telegraph.
Ganguly was also asked if it was his idea to appoint former captain MS Dhoni as the mentor of the Indian team for the T20 World Cup 2021 in UAE. Dhoni’s appointment as a mentor came as a surprise to many as fans went gaga on social media. Dhoni will be returning to India’s dressing room for the first time since the 2019 World Cup in England where he played his last game for India.
“Doesn’t matter whose idea it is. The main thing is India’s success and that is all that matters,” Ganguly said, responding to the question of whether it was his idea to get Dhoni on board. The BCCI president also clarified that Dhoni will be India’s mentor only for ICC T20 World Cup 2021 as of now.
“He will be there only for the T20 World Cup. He’s made it clear to us,” said Ganguly.
