Conflict between Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma? Jay Shah reveals reason behind head coach's departure

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary Jay Shah revealed the reason behind Rahul Dravid stepping down as Team India's head coach after the T20 World Cup 2024. Jay Shah stated that the Board of Control for Cricket in India did not force Rahul Dravid to extend his tenure despite winning the World Cup.

Rahul Dravid's tenure as head coach ended after the ODI World Cup 2023. However, the cricket board extended his tenure till the T20 World Cup 2024. The Men in Blue ended their 11-year ICC trophy drought with a victory over South Africa in the final match at the Kensington Oval in Barbados on Saturday, June 29.

It's worth mentioning that the Indian cricket team reached finals across all three formats in the past year under Dravid's tenure. The Men in Blue suffered losses to Australia in the finals of the World Test Championship (WTC) and ODI World Cup 2023. However, Rahul Dravid concluded his tenure on a winning note.

I Didn't Forced Him To Extend - Jay Shah

Jay Shah said that Rahul Dravid chose not to continue as Team India's head coach after the T20 World Cup due to family commitments. Shah emphasized that they respected Dravid's decision, adding that there was no pressure from the board to extend his tenure.

“He told me that due to family commitments he wants to quit and we respect his decision. I didn’t forced him to extend,” Shah told reporters in Barbados.

Jay Shah praised Rahul Dravid for his significant contributions to Indian cricket. Shah noted Dravid's tenure as director of the National Cricket Academy for three years and his subsequent two and a half years as the head coach of Team India.

“Rahul bhai has served Indian cricket for the past five and half years. He was director of the National Cricket Academy for three years and then for the past two and half years, he served as head coach of Team India,” said Shah.

The new head coach will face the daunting task of stepping into Rahul Dravid's shoes. Reports suggest Gautam Gambhir, a two-time World Cup winner and former mentor of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), is the frontrunner for the position.

Rahul Dravid Didn't Wanted To Leave - Jay Shah

Jay Shah highlighted that extending Rahul Dravid's coaching tenure after the 2023 ODI World Cup loss was crucial. Shah emphasized that Dravid was committed to seeing through unfinished business after reaching the 2023 ODI World Cup final.

“Rahul Dravid’s role is as important as Rohit Sharma in this T20 World Cup title triumph. He is a man, who took the team to the 2023 ODI World Cup final and didn’t wanted to leave because he wanted to finish the job,” he said.

Jay Shah announced that Team India will have a new head coach for the upcoming limited-overs series in Sri Lanka, starting later this month. He mentioned that the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) has interviewed and shortlisted two candidates, and the final decision will be disclosed once they return to Mumbai.

Also read: Rohit Sharma captain, Virat Kohli kicked aside as Harsha Bhogle picks ICC T20 World Cup 2024 'Team of the Tournament'