Former captain Rahul Dravid will continue as coach of the India ‘A’ and U-19 teams for the next two years, ending his tenure as mentor of IPL team Delhi Daredevils.
Earlier this month, Dravid took exception to the suggestion by outgoing the court-appointed Committee of Administrators member Ramachandra Guha that the batting legend had been given ‘preferential’ treatment which allowed him to coach India’s junior sides and also be mentor at Daredevils.
Dravid had apparently demanded clarity on the conflict of interest issue. The BCCI settled the matter with the announcement yesterday.
BCCI acting president CK Khanna said: “Over the last two years, Rahul Dravid has been instrumental in getting young talent into the mix who have proved their worth on the big stage. We are glad to continue his services for the next two years and are sure that this is a bright sign for Indian cricket which will see many more young talents coming up in the future.”
On their part, the Daredevils thanked Dravid for his services.
“It was an honour and privilege to have Rahul Dravid as Mentor of the Delhi Daredevils over the last two years. We truly enjoyed our association and nurtured some great young talent together. We are sad that he will not continue with us as Mentor as he chooses to serve India A as a coach. Being a true servant of Cricket he believes he still has a lot to give back to the game and help nurture young India talent. We wish him all the best,” they said in a statement.
While there's a clamour for the top job (read glamorous), Dravid agrees to continue coaching India-A and Under-19 for next two years... 🙌🙏👍🏏
— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) June 30, 2017
In his first assignment as coach, the India ‘A’ side won the triangular series at home in 2015 which included the Australian and South Africa teams. Dravid replicated that success with the Under-19 team, guiding them to the final of the 2016 World Cup.
Dravid will thus continue in a role that has always remained close to his heart. The former skipper had been offered positions in the senior team but preferred to work with the next generation of players.
