Team India Coach: BCCI offers to extend the contract with Rahul Dravid to coach team in South Africa

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) wants to retain Rahul Dravid as the team India coach of the senior men's team. The BCCI is likely to offer another two-year contract to Dravid but, as of now, the governing body wants the head coach to guide the team during the tour of South Africa as the modalities are being worked on.

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Dravid's tenure as team India coach had ended after the end of the World Cup 2023 and the board had not given him any new offer till then. National Cricket Academy (NCA) chief VVS Laxman is playing the role of team India coach in the ongoing five-match T20 series against Australia. Now the board has proposed to extend the contract to Dravid.

According to reports, BCCI had contacted Dravid last week. During this time there was talk about extending the tenure. However, it has not been confirmed yet whether Dravid has accepted the offer or not. BCCI is keen on continuing with Dravid. One of the main reasons for this is that the board wants to take forward the structure that Dravid has created in the last two years.

If Dravid accepts the coaching post again, his team of assistant coaches may remain intact. Vikram Rathour will continue in his role as batting coach, Paras Mhambrey as bowling coach and T Dilip as fielding coach.

If Dravid accepts the offer as team India coach, his first task in his second term will be India's tour of South Africa. During this period, a series of three T20, three ODI and two Test matches will be played. The tour will start with the T20 series on 10th December. Then there is a five-match Test series against England at home before the T20 World Cup in June.

Dravid replaced Ravi Shastri after the T20 World Cup in 2021. He was appointed for a two-year tenure which ended with the recent ODI World Cup. India was the runner-up in the World Cup. This was India's joint-best performance in ICC events under Dravid as coach. They had lost to Australia in the World Test Championship final in June. Earlier, India was defeated by England in the semi-finals of the 2022 T20 World Cup.

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According to media reports, documents have been prepared for Dravid as well as all members of his support staff for the upcoming tour of South Africa. However, this does not prove that Dravid will definitely become a team India coach. BCCI has also prepared the visa for VVS Laxman's coaching team. The board is still waiting for Dravid's reply. They are preparing for every situation. The T20 team is scheduled to leave for South Africa on December 6. Three matches will be played on 10, 12 and 14 December. The team is expected to be selected in the next two days.