Rahul Dravid is set to coach Team India on their limited overs tour to Sri Lanka that comprises three ODIs and three T20Is, the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) president Sourav Ganguly confirmed.
The Sri Lanka tour gets underway on July 13 when current head coach Ravi Shastri will be in England for the five-match Test series with Virat Kohli and the Test squad.
"Rahul Dravid will be the coach for the India tour to Sri Lanka," Sourav Ganguly told the Indian Express.
This is the first time Dravid will don the role of a coach for the senior team. He had earlier been the batting consultant for the national team on their England tour in 2014 and is the current Head of Cricket Operations at the National Cricket Academy.
The former India captain has also worked closely with the India A and U-19 teams since 2016 and monitored their progress, laying the foundation for great squad depth.
Dravid had been at the helm for plenty of India A tours, which offered youngsters exposure in foreign conditions and against quality attacks. Some of the players who have benefited from his mentorship are Mayank Agarwal, Shreyas Iyer, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson and Prithvi Shaw. While Agarwal, Gill, and Pant are a part of the Test squad currently in England, Shaw and Samson are picked for the limited-overs tour to the island nation.
Dravid’s methods have played the role of a finishing school that has ensured a smooth transition for young players to the senior team over the years. He was also the U-19 coach when India clinched the World Cup in 2018 under Shaw’s captaincy. The batting legend has also served as a mentor to Team Rajasthan in the Indian T20 League.
Shikhar Dhawan will lead the young India side with Bhuvneshwar Kumar acting as his deputy in Sri Lanka. The Pandya brothers, Hardik and Krunal, are also a part of the side.
Featured photo : Ian Kington / AFP
