When Ravi Shastri’s tenure as India head coach came to an end in November 2021, the BCCI appointed Rahul Dravid for the high-profile job for a period of two years till the 2023 ODI World Cup in India.
Dravid has returned a mixed bag in his 21-month stint so far. Hence, many feel that the upcoming ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup at home would define his legacy as coach of the senior Indian team.
While it is not clear whether Dravid’s contract will be renewed or not after the end of the World Cup in November, a report published in PTI claims that BCCI may search for a coach again.
There is a school of thought that Dravid should continue as Test coach with South Africa (away) and England (home series) series scheduled soon after the World Cup. However, it will be interesting to see if the former India skipper will be keen on a renewal of contract.
Having guided Gujarat Titans to the IPL title, Ashish Nehra has emerged as a front-runner but the report suggests that the former India pacer is "not interested" as of now with his GT contract running till the end of 2025 season.
"Suppose India wins the World Cup, Dravid himself might not want a renewal as he would like to end his stint on a high. But if you ask me, post World Cup, the BCCI should seriously think of having separate coaches for separate formats. They should ask Rahul to continue as red ball coach," a former BCCI office-bearer told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
Since he had done exceptionally well as coach of the India Under-19 and India ‘A’ teams, there were a lot of expectations when Dravid was roped in as head coach of the senior Indian men’s team.
However, the 50-year-old failed to live up to the expectations. With him at the helm of affairs, India failed to qualify for the Asia Cup 2022 final, lost the Test series in South Africa, lost to England in the rescheduled fifth Test, bowed out in the semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2022 and suffered a defeat in the WTC final last month.
While the Indian team is considered one of the favourites for the upcoming ODI World Cup, only time will tell how Rohit Sharma and his men will perform in front of the home crowd.
The 50-over World Cup, featuring 10 teams, is slated to be held in India from October 5 to November 19.
(With PTI Inputs)
