Rahul Dravid officially appointed as India head coach

Former India skipper Rahul Dravid has been officially appointed as the head coach of Team India. The news does not come as a surprise as Dravid's name was doing rounds ever since he coached India during the Sri Lanka series. Recently, he applied for the post of India head coach after which it became certain that Dravid will succeed Ravi Shastri.

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"The Cricket Advisory Committee comprising Ms Sulakshana Naik and Mr RP Singh on Wednesday unanimously appointed Mr Rahul Dravid as the Head Coach of Team India (Senior Men). The former India captain will take charge from the upcoming home series against New Zealand. The BCCI had invited applications for the said position on October 26 to appoint Mr Ravi Shastri’s successor, whose term gets over after the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup," read a BCCI statement.

Dravid's coaching tenure will start from India's home series against New Zealand which is set to get underway from November 17. Dravid's appointment marks the end of Ravi Shastri's stint with team India, who took over the reins of the team from Anil Kumble.

"The Board congratulates Mr Shastri (former Team Director & Head Coach), Mr B. Arun (Bowling Coach), Mr R. Sridhar (Fielding Coach) and Mr Vikram Rathour (Batting Coach) on a successful tenure. Under Shastri, the Indian Cricket Team adopted a bold and fearless approach and performed creditably both in home and away conditions. India climbed to the top position in the Test format and made it to the final of the inaugural World Test Championship in England," it added.

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Mr 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.

Mr 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.

Mr 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.