Rahul Dravid to replace Ravi Shastri as India's head coach

The former India captain will begin his new role after the T20 World Cup

Rahul Dravid has been named as the new head coach of India’s men’s team, replacing Ravi Shastri.

The former India captain will begin his new role after the T20 World Cup, with his first series in charge coming against New Zealand later this month.

Dravid was appointed following a unanimous decision by the cricket advisory committee comprising Sulakshana Naik and RP Singh.

Dravid said: "It is an absolute honour to be appointed as the new head coach of the Indian cricket team. Under Mr Shastri, the team has done very well, and I hope to work with the team to take this forward."

Dravid was seen as a natural fit for the position, having taken charge of India’s white-ball tour of Sri Lanka in July while Shastri led the Test side in England. Under Dravid, India recorded a 2-1 win in the ODI series but were beaten 2-1 in the T20s.

The 48-year-old has previously coached India Under-19, with whom he won the Under-19 World Cup in 2018, and India A. He was also appointed director of the BCCI’s National Cricket Academy in 2019, where he implemented new injury management systems and nationwide coaching programmes .

BCCI secretary, Jay Shah, said: "There is no better person than Rahul Dravid and I am delighted to see him being appointed. 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."

Sourav Ganguly, BCCI president and former teammate of Dravid, said: "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.”

Dravid won’t have time to ease himself into his new role gently, with a three-match T20I series against New Zealand and two Test matches scheduled for November and December. India will then tour South Africa over New Year, where they will play three Tests, three ODIs and four T20Is, before returning home for a multi-format series against West Indies in spring.

His support staff is yet to be announced, though Paras Mhambrey, who he worked with at the NCA, is expected to replace B Arun as bowling coach. Abhay Sharma and Ajay Ratra are among those who could succeed R. Sridhar as fielding coach, while current batting coach Vikram Rathour will re-apply for the position.

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