Indian cricket great Rahul Dravid was on Wednesday appointed as the head coach of the Indian men’s cricket team. Confirming the appointment, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) stated that Dravid would take charge of the team from the bilateral series against New Zealand that starts on November 17. Dravid will replace Ravi Shastri as head coach of the team, with the latter’s contract set to end with the culmination of the ongoing 2021 ICC T20 World Cup.

Dravid was previously heading the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore and had also coached the India U-19 team.

Reacting to his appointment as India head coach, Dravid said he would look to build on the work that was done by Shastri and his support staff.

“It is an absolute honour to be appointed as the new Head Coach of the Indian Cricket Team and I am really looking forward to this role,” Dravid was quoted as saying in a BCCI press release.

“Under Mr Shastri, the team has done very well, and I hope to work with the team to take this forward.  Having worked closely with most of the boys either at NCA, U19 and India A setup, I know they have the passion and desire to improve every day,” Dravid added.

Promoted

“There are some marquee multi-team events in the next two years, and I look forward to working with the players and the support staff to achieve our potential.”

India will take on New Zealand in three T20Is and two Test matches beginning later this month.