Rahul Dravid has denied signing an extension of contract as head coach of the Indian men’s cricket team, a few days after the BCCI announced that he had.
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What is the backdrop?
Dravid took over from Ravi Shastri, becoming the India head coach after the 2021 T20 World Cup for initial two years. His term ended following the conclusion of the 2023 World Cup this month.
Under him, India won the 50-over Asia Cup this year and reached the final of the World Cup after all of their first 10 games at the competition. They qualified for the final of the World Test Championship as well but lost out to Australia at the Oval.
What did the BCCI say?
On 29th November, the BCCI announced that Dravid, along with other members of the support staff, were offered contract extensions. According to a statement, Dravid “unanimously agreed” to further his tenure after the contract had ended following the World Cup final.
The BCCI release was: “The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announces the extension of contracts for Head Coach Mr. Rahul Dravid and the Support Staff of Team India (Senior Men). The BCCI engaged in productive discussions with Mr. 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.”
The BCCI did not mention how long his contract would be extended.
What has Dravid said?
According to PTI, Dravid has not yet signed or extended his contract, but has only had discussions. “I haven’t yet signed a contract with the BCCI but had discussions on tenure.” He also confirmed that he would be signing once he gets the papers from the board.
With conflicting statements, it remains unclear whether Dravid has agreed to a contract extension, as the BCCI statement said, or is yet to sign and is only looking to extend his tenure until India get a new head coach.
According to reports, the BCCI offered a coaching position to Ashish Nehra, the current head coach of Gujarat Titans, but he refused.
India are currently involved in a T20I series against Australia, which is being overseen by VVS Laxman. Laxman is currently the head of the NCA (National Cricket Academy) but often steps in as interim head coach in the absence of Dravid.
