T20 World Cup 2024: Rahul Dravid's future as India's head coach hanging by a thread, BCCI set to begin the appointment process

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is gearing up to kickstart the process of appointing the head coach for the Indian National Cricket Team in the upcoming week. 

The BCCI secretary, Jay Shah, has confirmed that India’s current head coach, Rahul Dravid, has the option to reapply for the job if he wishes an extension of his current tenure. Dravid had taken over as India’s head coach in November 2021.

The BCCI had offered a short-term extension to Dravid until the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2024 after his initial two-year contract ended with the conclusion of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in November.

BCCI prefers a long-term Head Coach for Team India across the formats

Shah also revealed the BCCI is looking for a long-term coach, and they are mulling over offering the new head coach a contract until the ODI World Cup in 2027. There is a trend in international cricket to have separate head coaches for different formats, but the BCCI is not in favor of split coaching for Team India, as most of the Indian players play all three formats.

He also asserted that the decision regarding the appointment of the head coach will ultimately be taken by the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), and if they opt for a foreign coach, the board will respect their decision without any interference. Notably, the former Indian cricketers Ashok Malhotra, Jatin Paranjape, and Sulakshana Naik are currently part of the CAC.

As reported by Sportstar, Jay Shah said during an interaction at the BCCI headquarters: “We will call for applications in the next few days. Rahul Dravid’s tenure is coming to an end in June. If he wants to reapply, he can. We are looking for a long-term coach, for three years."

"There is no precedent of different coaches for different formats in Indian cricket. Besides, we have a number of all-format players. Ultimately, it will be the CAC’s call. I have to implement what they decide. If the CAC selects a foreign coach, I can’t interfere.”

CAC will soon announce a selector from the North Zone

Before inviting applications for India’s head coach position, the CAC will finalize the appointment of a national selector. Shah revealed that interviews for the selector's role from the North Zone have already taken place, and the CAC will meet within a week to make their final decision.

The BCCI advertised for the national selector's post in January this year to ensure representation from each of the five zones on the national selection panel. The new selector is expected to replace Salil Ankola on the selection panel. It is being said that Mithun Manhas and Nikhil Chopra are emerging as frontrunners to join the selection panel chaired by Ajit Agarkar.

Shah stated, “A few interviews for the selector’s post have already happened. The CAC will meet in a week to finalize the name, and we will announce it soon.” The BCCI secretary also denied commenting on probably replacing Greg Barclay as the International Cricket Council (ICC) chairman.