T20 World Cup 2024 To Be Rahul Dravid’s Last Assignment, Confirms India Head Coach Ahead Of Ireland Clash

New York: Rahul Dravid has confirmed on Monday that he hasn’t re-applied for the India head coach’s role. The development comes in after Dravid confirmed his stance in a press conference just before India’s first full training session at Cantiague Park ahead of their clash against Ireland in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024. The BCCI is on a lookout to appoint Dravid’s successor and had also put out an advertisement in its website on May 13. The last date of applications was on May 27.

Although Dravid failed to guide India to win any ICC trophy, he had a rather successful tenure as India’s head coach. Coaching the Indian team requires a lot of travelling, which has been a roadblock for Dravid in not reapplying for the role as he wants to spend more time with family.

While it is not sure who all have applied for the post, it is believed that Dravid’s one-time India teammate Gautam Gambhir is the frontrunner for the position. The two-time World Cup winner with India, Gambhir has been reportedly approached by the BCCI for the India job.

The rumours got intensified when Gambhir had a brief chat with BCCI secretary Jay Shah in Chennai after mentoring Kolkata Knight Riders to IPL 2024 triumph. Dravid’s initial contract had ended at the end of the ODI World Cup at home last year, but he was asked to extend.

Meanwhile, Gambhir expressed his desire to coach the national team when asked by a kid in Abu Dhabi during a promotional event. “I would love to coach the Indian team. There is no bigger honour than coaching your national team. You are representing 140 crore Indians and those across the globe as well,” he had said.

However, when asked about the much-talked about opening combination, Kohli decided to keep everyone guessing. “We don’t want to reveal much but we have Rohit and Jaiswal, Virat has also opened in IPL so everything is on cards, said Dravid.