Rahul Dravid not keen to continue as India coach, VVS Laxman may take over: Sources

Rahul Dravid’s two-year contract as Team India’s head coach came to an end with India’s ODI World Cup final loss to Australia, on November 19 in Ahmedabad. Dravid was given the top job after Ravi Shastri’s exit in late 2021. The former Indian captain’s contract was set to get over with the ODI WC campaign, at home, and The Wall is unwilling to extend his contract.

As per a report in TOI, multiple sources close to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have confirmed that Dravid is not interested in extending his contract any further and, hence, his close friend VVS Laxman is likely to succeed him as India’s head coach. Laxman, who is the head of the National Cricket Academy (NCA), is currently acting as the head coach for India’s five T20Is versus Australia at home. He has donned the role on a few occasions as well, when a second-stringed India toured Zimbabwe, Ireland and New Zealand as well as hosted South Africa during Dravid’s tenure.

A reliable source in the BCCI told TOI, “Laxman has expressed his keenness for the job. During the World Cup, Laxman travelled to Ahmedabad to meet the BCCI’s top bosses in this regard. He’s likely to sign a long-time contract as the Team India coach, and will certainly travel with the team in that capacity for the upcoming tour of South Africa, which will be his first as the full-time India head coach.”

The source further revealed, “Dravid has communicated to the BCCI that he isn’t keen to continue as a full-time coach. For close to 20 years, he has travelled with the Indian team as a player, and for the past couple of years, he again went through the same grind, which he doesn’t want to undergo. He’s fine with a role at the NCA as the head there (a role he previously served in), which will allow him to stay back in his hometown Bengaluru. Like earlier, he’s fine with coaching the team sporadically, but not again as a full-time coach.”

Another source informed that Dravid is already in talks with an IPL team for a two-year contract. “He’s in talks with an IPL team for a big two-year contract,” the source shared.

With Dravid set to go, Laxman might continue with the former’s support staff — batting coach Vikram Rathour, bowling coach Paras Mhambrey and fielding coach T Dilip — or bring in his own set of people in the mix.

“They might continue, or Laxman, like any other coach, might want to bring his own set of people in the support staff,” the source added.

Hence, an official announcement is awaited with regard to India’s head coach position. Under Dravid, India won the Asia Cup (ODIs), reached the 2022 T20 World Cup semi-finals, and ended as runners-up in the WTC Final and ODI WC at home. India continued to remain dominant at home across formats — only losing an ODI series to Australia — but lost a Test series in South Africa, a one-off Test in England, a T20I series versus West Indies in West Indies and the USA and fell flat in the 2022 Asia Cup (T20Is).