VVS Laxman in contention for India head coach job as Rahul Dravid not keen on renewing contract- Report
Many changes are anticipated following India’s disappointing 6-wicket loss to Australia in the ICC World Cup 2023 final. This defeat was a devastating blow to the team’s players and coaching staff, who had been working tirelessly since the tournament began in October.
With the conclusion of the ICC World Cup 2023, the tenures of India head coach Rahul Dravid and his coaching staff have also drawn to a close. While VVS Laxman has been appointed as the interim coach for the upcoming Australia T20I series, Rahul Dravid’s future with the team remains uncertain.
According to sources within the BCCI, Dravid has expressed his unwillingness to renew his contract as India’s head coach. This decision has opened the door for other potential candidates, including VVS Laxman, who has previously served as interim head coach and is currently the head of the BCCI’s National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru.
The BCCI is expected to make a decision regarding the head coach position in the near future. The appointment of a new coach will be crucial in shaping the team’s direction and preparing for upcoming challenges.
“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 Times of India.
The opening T20I match against South Africa is slated for December 10, and the Indian team is expected to depart for the series on December 4.
Rahul Dravid assumed the mantle of head coach in September 2021, following Ravi Shastri’s departure after the T20 World Cup 2021.
“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 Rahul was already considering his future options.
“He’s in talks with an IPL team for a big two-year contract,” the source revealed.
The fate of the Indian team’s support staff, whose contracts also concluded with the World Cup, remains uncertain. The support staff included batting coach Vikram Rathour, bowling coach Paras Mhambrey, and fielding coach 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 input)
