S Rahul Dravid going to e the next India coach?
The Indian cricket d has invited applications the Director of National ket Academy (NCA), a post ently held by Rahul Dravid. 48-year-old former captain been in charge of NCA since , seamlessly moving into role from his position as
coach for the India U-19 India A teams. The call for ications, coming soon after rts that current India coach Shastri may not seek an nsion, has led to speculathat Dravid is being seen as tri’s successor. astri’s tenure ends after the World Cup. While Shastri is rtedly not keen to continue, I officials said it’s a call that be taken based on India’s ing in the October-novemworld Cup. ravid has already had a of the job. He went as the h with the Indian white ball s to Sri Lanka in July. here is only one problem-id is reluctant to spend too h time away from his fambengaluru. “There are a lot hallenges doing full time s, so I really don’t know,” vid had said after the Sri a series when asked about ther he is considering wants to wider role for whoever becomes the next director of cricket. “There’s no doubting Dravid’s role in creating a performance pathway for Indian cricket,” said a BCCI source in the know. “But, if decides to reapply, he should be at peace to undertake a lot more travel. It will be a more hands-on role and not just restricted to the development process.”
The responsibilities listed out for the new director includes coaching roles with multiple development squads (India A, U-23, U-19, U-16, etc) including training camps and tours.
The quiet and unassuming Dravid is often credited with being the man behind India’s phenomenal bench strength, an assembly line of players who have stepped up to the senior and selectors, as well as work in conjunction with IPL teams regarding workload management of fast bowlers and be the final authority on whether an injured player is fit to return.
This is an effort to give the NCA director decision-making powers in leading cricket matters, while he reports to the board secretary.
As for Shastri’s run as India coach, board officials said that “it’s performance and not the 60 years age-limit” that would be the determining factor for the 59-year-old Shastri. The current coach and his support staff have had a long stint with the team. Shastri was first appointed as team director in 2014. Except for one year in the middle (2016-17) when Anil Kumble was appointed as head coach,