Dravid to groom young Indian talents as new India youth team coach

Sudhir Gupta 07:24 07/06/2015
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  • Development role: Dravid.

    Rahul Dravid will be shaping India’s future cricketers by donning the hat of India A and under-19 coach.

    The batting legend’s appointment was announced on Saturday by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) after a meeting of the newly-constituted advisory panel comprising Dravid’s former teammates Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman.

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    “The good news is that Rahul Dravid has agreed to coach India A and under-19 teams in future,” BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur said after the meeting in Kolkata.

    Dravid, a veteran of 164 Tests and 344 ODIs, had earlier refused an advisory role, opting for a hands-on job instead.

    “I am looking forward to working with an exciting bunch of cricketers and hoping to be able to assist them in their journeys,” the 42-year-old said.

    The junior coach’s first assignment will be a tri-series hosted by India, involving the A teams of South Africa and Australia next month. His biggest challenge will be the Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh next year where three-time champions India will be looking to lay their hands on their fourth crown.

    Dravid was also in the running for the senior team’s coaching job but he was reluctant to take up the offer as he has a young family and he was averse to staying away from them for long periods.

    It will be the first full-time coaching job for the former Indian captain who has been involved with Indian Premier League franchise Rajasthan Royals as the team mentor for the last two seasons. He also had a short stint with the Indian team as their batting consultant during the four-match Test series in England last year.

    Thakur revealed the first meeting of the advisory committee was quite fruitful with the star players suggesting the creation of a talent pool and seeking greater overseas exposure for the India A teams.

    “We will be hiring a number of coaches, physios and trainers. We would like to have a pyramid like structure where from top to bottom, similar coaching and facilities are available to all. All three agreed that if need be they can spare some time to help the Indian cricketers.

    “One important recommendation was to select a pool of 15 fast bowlers and 15 spinners and have specialist coaches for them.”

    Meanwhile, opener KL Rahul is down with dengue and will miss the one-off Test match against Bangladesh beginning on Thursday in Fatulla.

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