Senior India players want Rahul Dravid as Test team head coach; He says no. VVS Laxman won’t apply: Report
Rohit Sharma’s Team India will reportedly have a new head coach after the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 as Rahul Dravid will step down from the top post.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India on Monday invited applications for the top job for a tenure of three and a half years. Though Dravid’s tenure as the head coach will end next month after the T20 World Cup, the BCCI has kept the door open for the former India skipper.
The deadline to submit an application is on May 27, 2024. Dravid will have to reapply if the batting legend wants to extend his stay as the head coach of the Rohit-led side. India’s next head coach will take charge of the men’s senior team from July 1, immediately after the T20 World Cup in the United States and the Caribbean. The term of India’s head coach will expire on December 31, 2027.
Why Rahul Dravid not seeking an extension
According to a Sportstar report, Dravid has already made it clear that he will not be seeking an extension for personal reasons. The Indian head coach informed the upper echelons of the BCCI about spending family time before the start of the IPL 2024 in March. A group of Team India veterans also urged Dravid to stay at the helm for at least another year. However, Dravid is keen on parting ways with the men’s team after the T20 World Cup.
VVS Laxman unlikely to enter the fray
The report also suggested that National Cricket Academy chief VVS Laxman is ‘unlikely to enter the fray’ for the head coach job after Dravid’s exit. Laxman was considered a frontrunner to replace Dravid as India’s head coach after the T20 World Cup. The runaway favourite has been heading the NCA for the past three years. In Dravid’s absence, Laxman has stepped up as India’s stand-in coach for the Asian Games. Laxman also coached Team India in the bilateral T20I series against England, New Zealand and Ireland.
If not Laxman, then who?
With Rahul set to leave and Laxman unlikely to throw his hat in the ring, head coaches of the IPL teams have been enquired about the top job. However, the IPL head coaches will have to apply for the post to confirm their availability after the World Cup. According to previous reports, Chennai Super Kings head coach Stephen Fleming and Lucknow Super Giants’ Justin Langer have emerged as the top two names, who could be interested in applying for the post.