Rahul Dravid likely to continue as India's youth coach
What’s the story?
Former Indian skipper Rahul Dravid is set to be appointed as the head coach of India A and the under-19 team by virtue of an extension clause in his BCCI contract. The 44-year-old was appointed as the coach of the two teams last year and his 10-month tenure ended in March this year.
“In Dravid’s contract, there is a line which states the BCCI can give extension to him. Whereas in (Anil) Kumble’s contract there is no clause of extension. That is why process was followed in Kumble’s case,” a BCCI official told the Indian Express.
According to the new BCCI directives, all national coaches will now have a contract of two years, wherein they will not be permitted to coach any other sides, including the Indian Premier League teams.
Also read: Timeline of the Indian cricket coaching saga
In case you didn’t know...
Following Ramchandra Guha’s strong-worded letter to BCCI panel chairman Vinod Rai after the former’s resignation, Dravid was almost caught in the middle of a conflict-of-interest issue. Guha wrote that BCCI offered 10-month deals to head coaches so that they can find a way to coach an IPL team in the two months that remain.
Even though he did not specifically mention Dravid anywhere, it was clear that the words were directed to his contract with the board. Dravid, clearly not happy with the speculation, wrote to BCCI asking about clarity on the issue. They replied saying that the Indian batting legend had not breached the terms of his contract.
However, with the new terms in place, Dravid will no longer be able to mentor the Delhi Daredevils or any other IPL side in his two years as the youth coach.
Also read: Rahul Dravid calls for wicket-taking options in middle overs
The details
The Cricket Advisory Committee, that has Indian greats like Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman, was behind Dravid’s appointment in 2016. Reports suggest that CAC played a role in Dravid’s extension as well.
The committee was asked to look into the appointments of both the head coach of the Indian cricket team as well as the India A and under-19 teams. Extension of both Kumble and Dravid’s contracts seems likely now.
What’s next?
The committee approved the two-year extension and everything will be official once Dravid’s salary is decided. A BCCI source confirmed that the man from Bangalore was paid more than 4 crore rupees for his earlier coaching stint with the young teams.
The Indian u-19 team is set to tour England later in July, wherein, the they are scheduled to play two tests and five ODIs against the England under-19 team. Considering Dravid’s exceptional batting success in England, his guidance would be priceless for the youngsters in the team.
Author’s take
Dravid’s extension as the head coach certainly is a good news for Indian cricket. The man has an in-depth understanding of the game and his mentorship has proven to make the careers of some dependable international performers like KL Rahul, Ajinkya Rahane and Hardik Pandya.
He has had a successful run with the youth teams so far and you would hope that he this longer stint with the players will help him help them even further.