Legendary Indian batter Rahul Dravid had decided not to renew his contract as a head coach with India which ended with the conclusion of the recently-held ICC World Cup 2023, reported The Times of India on Thursday.
India’s heartbreaking six-wicket defeat to Australia in the World Cup final marked the end of an era as that was the last match Dravid coached for his country’s side.
Dravid was appointed as the head coach in November 2021 and in his short two-year stint, India played in the semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2022, which they lost to eventual champions England. They also played the final of the World Test Championship and World Cup in 2023, losing both to Australia.
The former cricketer was appointed on a two-year contract which also ended with the conclusion of the mega event. Dravid has no intention of extending the contract and has already communicated his decision to the Board of Cricket for Control in India (BCCI), said the publication.
According to the report, Dravid may be replaced by one of his close friends, VVS Laxman, who was named interim head coach of the Indian team which will play Australia in a five-match T20I series.
"Laxman has expressed his keenness for the job. During the World Cup, Laxman travelled to Ahmedabad to meet the BCCI's top bosses in this regard,” a reliable source in the BCCI told TOI.
He's likely to sign a long-term contract as Team India coach, and will certainly travel with the team in that capacity for the upcoming tour of South Africa, which will be his first as the full-time India head coach.”
"Dravid has communicated to the BCCI that he isn't keen to continue as a full- time coach. For close to 20 years, he has travelled with the Indian team as a player, and for the past couple of years, he again went through the same grind, which he doesn't want to undergo.
He's fine with a role at the NCA as the head there (a role he previously served in), which will allow him to stay back in his hometown Bengaluru. Like earlier, he's fine with coaching the team sporadically, but not again as a full-time coach," the source said.
- Kapil Dev
