NEW DELHI: Former India chief selector MSK Prasad feels Rahul Dravid is the best option as a coach if India wish to continue its dream run following the end of current head coach Ravi Shastri's tenure.
Dravid agreed to take over as the head coach of the Indian national team on the sidelines of the Indian Premier League final on Friday. And Prasad said Dravid can gel with Shastri and the current team management easily and is the best candidate for the role. "I told earlier also that Rahul Dravid will be the best candidate for coach of Team India. He can gel up with Ravi Shastri and his team easily," Prasad told ANI.
"In the tenure of Ravi Shastri, Team India did so well, won series in Australia. Back to back winning series is not an easy task and if we want this performance to continue then Rahul Dravid is the best option," he added.
Earlier in the day, ANI reported that Dravid, the NCA head is ready to take over as the national team coach. "Dravid has agreed and it cannot get better. The other positions will now be looked into while Vikram stays as the batting coach. The Indian team is in a state of transition with youngsters coming in and they have all worked with Dravid and it will be all the more easier for Indian cricket to continue on its path to become world beaters on the pitch," a source said.
Dravid was always the preferred choice for the BCCI but it looks like it took Secretary Jay Shah and President Sourav Ganguly to sit down and talk with the former captain before he agreed to wear the cap full-time after travelling to Sri Lanka with the team for the limited-overs series recently during the main team's tour of England.
Current coach Shastri's contract ends with the T20 World Cup that gets underway on Sunday. The BCCI is hosting the tournament in Oman and UAE. India will open its T20 World Cup campaign against Pakistan on October 24 in Dubai. After the upcoming T20 World Cup, Virat Kohli will also be stepping down as the side's captain in the shortest format.