Former India skipper Rahul Dravid was on Wednesday appointed as the new Head Coach of Team India, replacing Ravi Shastri.
The BCCI said in a statement that the Cricket Advisory Committee comprising Sulakshana Naik and RP Singh unanimously appointed Dravid as the Head Coach of Team India (Senior Men).
As announced earlier, Dravid will take charge of the team after the T20 World Cup with his assignment being the upcoming home series against New Zealand.
Reacting to his appointment, Dravid said, “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. Under Mr Shastri, the team has done very well, and I hope to work with the team to take this forward. Having worked closely with most of the boys either at NCA, U19 and India A setup, I know they have the passion and desire to improve every day. There are some marquee multi-team events in the next two years, and I look forward to working with the players and the support staff to achieve our potential.”
The BCCI lauded Shastri for his ‘successful tenure.’ BCCI President Sourav Ganguly said, “The BCCI welcomes Rahul Dravid as the Head Coach of India’s senior men team. 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.”
BCCI Secretary Jay Shah said, “There is no better person than Rahul Dravid and I am delighted to see him being appointed as the Head Coach of the Indian Cricket Team. With two World Cups scheduled to take place in the next two years, it is important to have a seamless transition, and the former India captain is the right man for the job. Having provided the much-needed direction to NCA and overseen the progression of the boys at India U-19 and India A level, we believe this is also a natural progression for him as a coach. I have no doubt that under him, the Indian team will dominate in all formats. The Board will soon make appointments of other coaching staff, who will support the Head Coach in jointly achieving our targets.”
Dravid, arguably one of the greatest batsmen to play for India, scored 13288 runs in 164 Tests during his career. This included 36 centuries and 63 fifties. He also scored 10899 in 344 One Day Internationals including 12 centuries and 83 half centuries.