Rahul Dravid Will Coach Team India For SL Tour, Ganguly Confirms

Rahul Dravid
Rahul Dravid

Rahul Dravid will coach the Indian cricket team for the short Sri Lanka series, confirmed Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Sourav Ganguly.

Rahul Dravid to Coach team India

“Rahul Dravid will be the coach for the India tour to Sri Lanka,” Ganguly told The IE.

The Indian squad for the Sri Lanka tour on Monday started their 14-days institutional quarantine in Mumbai.

Dravid has been coaching the India under-19 and India A teams for the past few years and developing India’s bench strength.

Though it seems almost certain that UAE will host the IPL in September, Ganguly said the board has written to Indian government for tax exemption and that the decision on whether to host it in India or UAE will be taken subsequently.

“We have written to the Indian government on tax exemption. We are awaiting for their response. We still have time. The board will take a decision on it soon,” Ganguly said.

Notably, India will be led by Shikhar Dhawan for the short tour while Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been named his deputy. Hardik Pandya and his brother Krunal Pandya have also been named in the side.

Prithvi Shaw was also selected after a record-breaking Vijay Hazare Trophy and an impressive performance in the first half of the Indian Premier League.

Fast bowler Chetan Sakariya, who impressed in his debut Indian Premier League season this year with the Rajasthan Royals, also got his maiden India call-up.

Chetan Sakariya
Chetan Sakariya

Meanwhile, Kuldeep Yadav, who has seen his fortunes slide in the Indian team, has also been named in the side alongside Yuzvendra Chahal.

Though the Indian board hasn’t made it official, they have also started working on the logistics of UAE hosting the T20 World Cup and Oman hosting the qualifiers of the championships.

It is learned that BCCI has blocked hotel bookings for the World Cup. International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Indian board have already approached Oman to host the World Cup qualifiers.