Rahul Dravid appointed Team India's head coach by BCCI; will take over after T20 World Cup

While all eyes remain glued to the T20 World Cup match between India and Afghanistan, the BCCI on Wednesday night announced that former cricketer Rahul Dravid will be the head coach of Team India after the ICC's showpiece tournament ends. The former India captain had been the frontrunner to succeed Ravi Shastri as the coach, who is all set to step down from the top post after the ongoing T20 World Cup in the UAE. Dravid will take charge from the upcoming home series against New Zealand, the BCCI said in a press release on Wednesday night.

Rahul Dravid appointed as head coach of the Indian Cricket Team

Reacting to the development, Sourav Ganguly, President, BCCI 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."

Jay Shah, Honorary Secretary, BCCI 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."

'Team India has the passion': Rahul Dravid, Head Coach

Rahul Dravid, Head Coach, Team India 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."