CHENNAI: Itis official. Rahul Dravid has been appointed as the head coach of the India men's team and will take charge of the side starting with the home series against New Zealand beginning on November 17. The development isn't a surprise. From the moment it emerged that the top brass of the BCCI convinced the former India captain to take the job, he was always going to be the front-runner. However, he still had to go through the process of applying for the job and appear for an interview before the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC).
That it was going to be academic was a given. And it has played out that way as the deadline for the applicants ended on October 26, Dravid happened to be the lone applicant. Since there was no competition, the CAC comprising of Sulakshana Naik and RP Singh appointed Dravid as Ravi Shastri's successor.
“Under 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,” Dravid said in a statement.
Since retirement, Dravid has been handling the India Under-19 and India A teams and has also coached Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Capitals in the IPL. Ever since it became clear that Shastri wouldn't seek an extension, Dravid, who was the head of cricket at the National Cricket Academy, was seen as the ideal replacement as Team India enters a transition period across all formats.
In that way, there isn't a better candidate than Dravid as he has first-hand experience of overseeing the development of several young players including the likes of Rishabh Pant, Ishan Kishan, Washington Sundar, Prithvi Shaw and Shubman Gill who all will form the core of the team going forward. While they have done admiringly well in the Tests, their middle-order is in need of some attention.
However, it is the limited-overs where India need surgery. With 20-over and 50-over World Cups lined up in 2022 and 2023, India's focus is on building a title-winning squad. At the moment, they are way behind England when it comes to white-ball cricket and are in need of course correction in the 50-overs format. In T20Is despite having the resources, India have not been able to put a formidable team. There are already indications that a new-look team comprising of youngsters will be built beginning with the New Zealand series at home.