Rahul Dravid not keen on contract renewal, VVS Laxman to be next India coach: Report

Indian cricket team’s loss in the World Cup final, against Australia in Ahmedabad, on Sunday may well turn out to be end of an era. With rumours of skipper Rohit Sharma not playing T20I cricket going forward, it is being reported that another change will be in the coaching department. Rahul Dravid is not keen on extending his contract as the Indian cricket team’s head coach. The former India batter’s contract expired at the conclusion of the World Cup. As per a Times of India report, Dravid has communicated his decision to Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). “Dravid has communicated to the BCCI that he isn’t keen to continue as a full-time coach. For close to 20 years, he has travelled with the Indian team as a player, and for the past couple of years, he again went through the same grind, which he doesn’t want to undergo. He’s fine with a role at the NCA as the head there (a role he previously served in), which will allow him to stay back in his hometown Bengaluru. Like earlier, he’s fine with coaching the team sporadically, but not again as a full-time coach,” says the TOI report quoting a BCCI source. With Dravid stepping down, VVS Laxman is the frontrunner for the job. Laxman is currently part of the leadership team as India take on Australia in a five-match T20I series. The series starts in Visakhapatnam on Thursday. Previously, Laxman was the interim head coach of the Indian cricket team during the tour of Ireland and the white-ball series against New Zealand last year. “Laxman has expressed his keenness for the job. During the World Cup, Laxman travelled to Ahmedabad to meet the BCCI’s top bosses in this regard. He’s likely to sign a long-time contract as the Team India coach, and will certainly travel with the team in that capacity for the upcoming tour of South Africa, which will be his first as the full-time India head coach,” said the report. India’s series against South Africa is scheduled to start on 10 December with the team expected to depart by 4 December. Dravid was appointed as the Indian cricket team head coach in November 2021 on a two-year contract. There is no clarity over the future of the rest of the coaching staff. Vikram Rathour (batting coach), Paras Mhambrey (bowling coach), and T Dilip (fielding coach) are also out of contract now.