Published: Jun 06, 2015, 05:45 PM (IST)
Edited: Jun 06, 2015, 06:05 PM (IST)
Former captain Rahul Dravid was on Saturday evening appointed the coach of the India A and India Under-19 coach, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Anurag Thakur announced. READ: Rahul Dravid’s reluctance at taking high-profile responsibility a blessing in disguise for India
Earlier last week, there was a lot of commotion surrounding the appointment of former cricketers Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Sourav Ganguly in a new advisory committee of the Indian cricket board, which did not have Dravid on board. READ: Virat Kohli backs Rahul Dravid for advisory committee
Dravid, reportedly wanted to have a more ‘hands-on’ role in the Indian cricket, but at the same time he was reluctant to take up the responsibility of coaching the Indian national cricket team. The end of the tenure for Duncan Fletcher meant the job opportunity of coaching India was up for the grabs, and there was lot of enthusiasm over the possible appointment of Dravid. READ: Rahul Dravid likely to coach India Under-19 and India A: Report
The current set-up of the BCCI management wants to involve former cricketers in a much bigger way, and the constitution of the advisory panel was one of the moves in this regards. However, Dravid’s absence from the panel sparked speculations that he would either take up the role with the India A and India Under-19 sides, as well as the coaching job with the Indian cricket team. READ: Rahul Dravid is vital to Indian cricket restructuring, claims Jagmohan Dalmiya
Dravid has had a successful time working with many young and unknown cricketers in the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Rajasthan Royals (RR), and his record suggested that he would be the right man for the India A and India Under-19 teams. READ: Rahul Dravid to help BCCI ‘when the time comes’, says Anurag Thakur
The appointment means Dravid will be returning to Indian cricket set-up for the first time since his retirement. He was briefly involved in mentoring the Indian team ahead of their dismal tour of England in 2014.
