“Rahul Dravid heading industry that is supplying players to Indian cricket” - Salman Butt backs Indian legend’s decision to reapply for NCA post
Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt has backed Rahul Dravid’s decision to reapply for the post of Head of Cricket at the National Cricket Academy (NCA). The BCCI invited applications for the position after Dravid’s two-year contract had come to an end.
Following reports that Ravi Shastri won’t continue in his role as Team India's head coach after his contract ends post the T20 World Cup, Dravid’s name cropped up as a likely replacement. The former India captain recently coached India during the limited-overs series in Sri Lanka.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Butt said that Dravid has made the right move by showing interest in continuing his role with the NCA. He commented:
“By working with the NCA, Dravid is not serving only junior Indian cricket. He recently took a team to Sri Lanka and they won a series (ODIs) over there. He is preparing ready material and sending it to the Indian team. I would say he is heading an industry that is supplying players to Indian cricket. What more than that do you want?”
Before Butt, former Aussie spinner Brad Hogg also opined that Indian cricket needs Dravid the NCA head more than Dravid the Team India coach. Explaining his stance, Hogg explained:
“The NCA coach is an important role for the growth and transition of upcoming players for international cricket. Probably a more important role that the Indian head coach. Countries with strong academies generally top the ICC ladders. Dravid must stay in that role. #cricket.”
Will Rahul Dravid be reappointed as NCA’s Head of Cricket?
Dravid had to reapply for the position of Head of Cricket at the NCA since there is no provision for granting an extension. However, there are strong chances that he could be reappointed to the post. In fact, the BCCI has had to extend the deadline for applications as Dravid has been the sole candidate to apply for the post so far.
A BCCI source told news agency PTI on the condition of anonymity:
“Yes, Rahul has reapplied for the post of Head of Cricket. You don’t need to be a genius to guess that he is going to continue after the tremendous work he has put in to change the face of NCA, which is now truly a centre of excellence. In fact, as of now, save Rahul, there are no other prominent names of stature who have applied for the post.”
The source added about the extension of the deadline:
“BCCI brass has decided to extend the deadline from August 15 by a few more days. When Rahul is in fray, everyone knows that there is little meaning in applying for the post. It’s more of a formality but yeah to be fair, a few more days are there if anyone feels that he would like to throw his hat in the ring.”
With Dravid as coach, India won the ODI series 2-1 in Sri Lanka. They, however, lost the T20I series after most of their main players had to isolate after COVID-19 struck the camp.