After losing the final of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, the tenure of Rahul Dravid and other support staff was ended. Hence, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was left with some big decisions to make with some important series coming up.
Notably, the T20 World Cup 2024 is just 6-7 months away and will start on June 3. The ICC tournament will take place in USA and West Indies. India hasn’t won any major ICC tournaments in more than a decade. Hence, the BCCI needed someone who could take India to glory.
After the World Cup final, Dravid said that he was not thinking about continuing as India’s head coach. However, on Wednesday, the BCCI confirmed that Rahul Dravid and co. will be there with the team for another six months until the T20 World Cup 2024.
So what was the reason that VVS Laxman, who was the frontrunner for India’s next head coach, was not given the job? Laxman is the head of the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru and has worked as a stand-in coach with the Indian team. He is currently coaching Team India in the ongoing five-match T20I series at home.
Some media reports confirmed that the BCCI was planning to arrange visas for Laxman and his staff for the upcoming South Africa tour. But now they have extended Dravid’s tenure. But what happened was that they didn’t select Laxman to be India’s next head coach.
However, a report from the Times of India confirmed that BCCI was forced to extend Dravid’s contract because Laxman was unsure about taking on the head coach role. He was not keen to take up the role on a full-time basis.
A source said, “Laxman said that he needed to spend more time with his family. He was unsure about relentless travel that comes with the new role. Besides, he is very committed to strengthening the NCA and India’s supply line of cricketers.” Dravid and his support staff will serve their respective roles until June 2024, and the BCCI will review their contracts after the T20 World Cup 2024.
