Vikram Rathour to return as batting coach, Paras Mhambrey to be India's new bowling coach under Rahul Dravid: Reports
Marking the "new era" of Indian cricket under Rahul Dravid, the BCCI are set to appoint Vikram Rathour and Paras Mhambrey as the batting and bowling coaches for the senior men's team. T Dilip is likely to take over as fielding coach.
According to a report in Cricbuzz, head coach Rahul Dravid's inputs were instrumental in the trio's appointment. The interviews took place on Thursday and an official announcement from the board is likely to follow soon.
Rahul Dravid took over as India's head coach from Ravi Shastri after the T20 World Cup 2021. The batting legend has been appointed for a two-year tenure which will oversee India's T20 World Cup 2022 and ODI World Cup 2023 campaigns.
Vikram Rathour, who has also represented India at the highest level and has also been a selector, was appointed the Men in Blue's batting coach in 2019.
His tenure ended alongside Shastri's after the T20 World Cup, but unlike Shastri, he had the option of seeking an extension. Rathour recently confirmed that he had re-applied for the position and is now likely to get the board's nod.
Paras Mhambrey has represented India in five internationals. He has been the head coach of various domestic teams and an assistant coach with the Mumbai Indians in the IPL as well. Mhambrey was also the bowling coach for India's tour of Sri Lanka earlier this year. He'll have the challenging task of taking forward Bharat Arun's highly-appreciated work with the Indian bowling attack.
T Dilip was also a part of the collegium that traveled with Rahul Dravid for the Sri Lanka series. Like Dravid and Mhambrey, he has been an integral part of the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. He'll replace R Sridhar as the fielding coach for the Indian team.
New Zealand series to be new Indian coaching staff's first test
The new backroom staff alongside the new T20I captain Rohit Sharma will spring into action from November 17 when India will take on T20 World Cup finalists New Zealand in a three-match T20I series.
The first match will be played in Jaipur, with Ranchi and Kolkata set to host the next two games. The three T20Is will be followed by a two-game Test series.