bcci-confirms-rahul-dravid-s-position-as-indian-head-coach-till-t20-world-cup

BCCI secretary Jay Shah has confirmed that Rahul Dravid will remain India's head coach until the approaching T20 World Cup in June this year. Shah made the announcement on the sidelines of the renaming function of the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium on Wednesday night.

 

Dravid's contract initially ended after the ODI World Cup final last year, but he was requested to continue along with the support staff for the tour to South Africa in December-January without specifying the tenure.

 

But Shah said he held an initial talk with Dravid here before deciding to retain the former captain’s services till the ICC is held in the West Indies and the USA.

 

“After the (2023) World Cup, Rahul bhai had to leave for the South Africa tour immediately. We did not get to meet in between which finally happened today,” Shah said. 

 

“Why are you worried about a contract for such a senior person like Rahul Dravid? Rahul bhai will remain the coach in the T20 World Cup,” Shah asserted. 

 

However, Shah indicated that they will hold a few more rounds of discussions ahead of the marquee event. “I will speak with him whenever there is time, there are back-to-back series happening right now. They were in South Africa, then there was a (T20I) series against Afghanistan (at home), and now England. We did not get to speak in between at all,” he added.

 

“This is the BCCI's mandate. The BCCI is the supreme body and whatever it decides the franchises will have to follow — we are above the franchises,” he said. 

 

Shah said the IPL franchises will have to comply with workload management guidelines set by the BCCI for the centrally contracted players.