'Absolute honour,' says Rahul Dravid on being made India's head coach; speaks on Shastri

Moments after being appointed as the head coach of team India, former cricketer Rahul Dravid on Wednesday dubbed it as 'absolute honour'. Underlining the role of Ravi Shastri, Dravid said that the team has performed very well under the outgoing head coach and exuded hope to carry the legacy forward as he assumes charge. The change in head coach position will happen only after the conclusion of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2020.

"Having worked closely with most of the boys either at National Cricket Academy (NCA), Under-19 and India A set-up, I know they have the passion and desire to improve every day", Rahul Dravid said, adding that there are some marquee multi-team events happening in the next two years. It is pertinent to mention here that Rahul Dravid has previously coached the India Under-19 side at the 2016 and the 2018 World Cup. He has also overseen the progress of the India A sides until 2019 when he was appointed the head of the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru.

Rahul Dravid further said, "I look forward to working with the players and the support staff to achieve our potential."

Rahul Dravid replaces Ravi Shastri as Team India's head coach

President of BCCI, Sourav Ganguly welcomed Rahul Dravid's appointment as the Head Coach. "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 on the international stage. I am hopeful that his new stint will take Indian cricket to new heights, " he said.

Honorary Secretary of BCCI, Jay Shah was next in row to welcome the new Head Coach. Underlining that there is 'no better person' than Rahul Dravid for the post, Jay Shah expressed his delightment 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," the BCCI Honorary Secretary said. 

Image: PTI