Indian cricket team is at crossroads, well sort of. After the runners-up finish at the ODI Cricket World Cup 2023, the next big assignment for the Indian cricket team is the T20 World Cup 2024. There is increasing curiosity on whether it is time for Indian cricket to infuse fresh blood in the white-ball formats. Indian cricket team head coach Rahul Dravid also ended his first tenure with the side. While there was much speculation on whether a new person would be given the reins of the team, it is now confirmed that Rahul Dravid has been given an extension as the head coach of the Indian cricket team.
Indian cricket team pace legend Zaheer Khan was recently asked an interesting question on Rahul Dravid's appointment.
"Dravid has been handed coaching extension? Do you think it's the right call and will it be easy for the coach to instill belief to bounce back in 6 months for an ICC trophy?" Zaheer Khan was asked by a user.
The pace great reply was interesting. "Just a general view on this scenario. We've been talking about so many captains, so many vice-captains. All the things which are happening around. With so much of cricket also happening, you need that continuity factor, which is going to be very, very important. You need that stability and how you are going to achieve that stability when you have so many moving parts is having something constant," Zaheer Khan said on Cricbuzz.
"Whoever becomes the coach needs to be constant and should maintain that continuity for a while, so that all the processes are followed and communicated in that regard. You form a nice setup with regards to the higher management in BCCI, to the selectors, to the NCA, to the Indian team, and captains across formats," Zaheer Khan, a member of India's World Cup winning team, added.
"With so much happening, it does not matter, who that individual is, but that individual needs to have that full responsibility of all the formats and planning around it. Getting everybody on same page so that the system is robust as we are moving ahead. Usually, that continuity is maintained in Indian cricket through one captain being there for all the formats. But the demand now is such that certain players need to ready for certain tournaments but that continuity needs to be there through the coach."
So far, there is no clarity on the duration Rahul Dravid's tenure in his second phase as Indian cricket team coach. Now, BCCI secretary Jay Shah has given a major update on when there will be clarity on the issue.
"Length of Rahul Dravid's tenure as India head coach to be decided after team returns from South Africa," BCCI secretary Jay Shah was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
"We have given the extension but we are yet to finalise the contract. We did not get time at all, they finished (with the World Cup). I had a meeting with them (Dravid & Co.) and we agreed mutually that they will continue. We will sit down and decide once they return from South Africa," the secretary said.
Rahul Dravid, as the Indian cricket team head coach, has seen several highs. His tenure has seen the Rohit Sharma-led Indian cricket team reach the finals of the World Test Championship and ODI Cricket World Cup.
Recently, his contract as the Indian cricket team head coach was extended by the BCCI. In the last week of November, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) officially announced the extension of contracts for head coach Rahul Dravid and the support staff of Team India (Senior Men). "The BCCI engaged in productive discussions with Rahul Dravid after the term of his contract ended following the recently concluded ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 and unanimously agreed to further the tenure," BCCI said in an official statement.