Rahul Dravid is likely to be approached by the Indian cricket board to be the interim coach for India’s home series against New Zealand. Head coach Ravi Shastri and the core of the support staff will move on after the T20 World Cup but the board has realised the search for a new coach could take longer than expected and hence wants an experienced hand like Dravid at the helm as a stop-gap arrangement.
It’s learnt that a few Australian coaches expressed interest in the job, but the BCCI isn’t keen as they are focussing on an Indian for the role, before they look elsewhere. The BCCI had wanted Dravid to become the full-time coach of the Indian team but he had refused, it’s learnt, as he didn’t want to travel too much.
Dravid is the in-charge of the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru.
The Indian board later approached a few more coaches but are yet to get a positive response.
The BCCI has not officially put out an advertisement for the coach but has been looking around for a candidate who could fit the bill. The Indian cricket board is first trying to find out the availability of potential candidates before putting out an advertisement.
“We wanted the candidate whom we feel is best suited for the job to agree first (to apply for the job),” a BCCI official explained their rationale to delay the advertisement. “We don’t want a situation where we get applications but no one is seen as ideal. It will be embarrassing for the board and for the candidates too. So it’s better to find a suitable candidate first, till then Dravid can be interim coach,” a BCCI official said.
The board had initially considered the possibility of requesting Shastri to continue till that New Zealand series but have since changed their mind. Dravid has coached the second-string Indian team in Sri Lanka when the main team were concurrently playing in Australia earlier this year. India are scheduled to play two Tests and three T20’s against New Zealand immediately after the T20 World Cup.
The tenure of Shastri, bowling coach Bharat Arun and fielding coach R Sridhar comes to an end after the T20 World Cup. Indian team Trainer Nick Webb too will quit after the T20 World Cup.
