"Rahul Dravid will bring his vast experience to the Indian set up along with his tactical acumen" - Sunil Gavaskar
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has welcomed the decision to appoint Rahul Dravid as head coach of the Indian Cricket Team. Dravid will replace Ravi Shastri, whose tenure comes to an end after the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2021.
On Wednesday (November 3), the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) officially appointed Dravid as Shastri's successor. Gavaskar stated the the former India A coach will bring vast experience to the table.
🚨 BREAKING 🚨
Rahul Dravid has been officially appointed as the new head coach of Team India 🇮🇳🏏
#India #TeamIndia https://t.co/FyBkE0fHhv
Speaking to India Today, Suniil Gavaskar said:
"Rahul Dravid will bring his vast experience to the Indian set-up along with his tactical acumen. He will bring the worth ethic that he embodied while he played the game, the deep thinking about tactics and so on."
He continued:
"You need to have some instinctiveness during matches but you also need to be able to plan and I think this and the win over Afghanistan is the best news India have had over the last one week or so."
Meanwhile, Rahul Dravid will have big shoes to fill considering the heights the current coaching panel have taken Indian cricket to. India jumped to top position in the Test format, winning two back-to-back Test series in Australia. They also made it to the finals of the inaugural ICC World Test Championship.
Virat Kohli's side have also displayed dominance in white-ball cricket, especially in bilateral series.
"I am really looking forward to this role" - Rahul Dravid
Absolutely the right man for the job! Rahul Dravid has been a great servant of Indian cricket. As he takes guard for a fresh innings as the head coach, i am sure he will take the team onward and upward. Best wishes to my partner in many an enjoyable stand!! twitter.com/bcci/status/14…
Rahul Dravid has largely been responsible for creating bench strength and working with young cricketers in the U-19 and India A levels at the National Cricket Academy. The 48-year-old stated he is keen to work with the players and the support staff to scale new heights over the next two years.
Speaking on the BCCI website, Rahul Dravid 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."
The Indian cricketing legend added:
"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."
Dravid's first full-time assignment will be a series against New Zealand, starting November 17.