Many changes are expected to be made after India lost the ICC World Cup 2023 final to Australia by 6-wickets. This was a heartbreaking loss to all of the players and coaching staff involved in the tournament which had begun in October.
With the end of the ICC World Cup 2023, the tenure of India head coach Rahul Dravid and his coaching staff also came to an end. While VVS Laxman has been named the interim coach for the upcoming Australia T20I series, it remains to be seen whether Rahul Dravid would be keen on renewing his contract.
However, the Times of India has reported that as per BCCI sources, Dravid is not keen on doing so and has told the BCCI that he won’t be continuing as the Indian team's head coach.
Further, Dravid’s former India teammate VVS Laxman has shown interest in the India team head coach job and put his name in contention. Laxman is also the head of the BCCI's National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru and was the interim head coach of the Indian team during the Ireland T20I series before the World Cup and the white-ball series against New Zealand after the T20 World Cup last year.
"Laxman has expressed his keenness for the job. During the World Cup, Laxman traveled to Ahmedabad to meet the BCCI's top bosses in this regard. He's likely to sign a long-time contract as the Team India coach, and will certainly travel with the team in that capacity for the upcoming tour of South Africa, which will be his first as the full-time India head coach," a reliable source in the BCCI told TOI.
The first T20I against South Africa is scheduled for December 10, and the team is likely to depart by December 4.
Dravid had taken over from Ravi Shastri post the T20 World Cup 2021 in September of that year.
"Dravid has communicated to the BCCI that he isn't keen to continue as a full-time coach. For close to 20 years, he has traveled with the Indian team as a player, and for the past couple of years, he again went through the same grind, which he doesn't want to undergo. He's fine with a role at the NCA as the head there (a role he previously served in), which will allow him to stay back in his hometown Bengaluru. Like earlier, he's fine with coaching the team sporadically, but not again as a full-time coach," the source said.
Another source told TOI that Dravid was already considering his future options.
"He's in talks with an IPL team for a big two-year contract," the source revealed.
There is no word on whether the other members of the Indian team's support staff, whose contracts also expired with the World Cup, would be retained. India's batting coach was Vikram Rathour, the bowling coach was Paras Mhambrey, and the fielding coach was T Dilip.
"They might continue, or Laxman, like any other coach, might want to bring his own set of people in the support staff," said the source.
Indian team under Rahul Dravid’s two-year tenure lost in semi-finals in T20 World Cup 2022, the final of the World Cup 2023. The team lost in the Tests and ODI series in South Africa and the deciding fifth Test in England.
But there were triumphs as well, they won the Asia Cup 2023, won the home Test series against Australia, Sri Lanka, and New Zealand, and the away series in Bangladesh and West Indies. There were home T20I series wins against Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and Sri Lanka too.
(Times of India inputs)
