May 13, New Delhi: This month’s T20 World Cup in the Americas will mark the end of head coach Rahul Dravid’s term, therefore the BCCI on Monday opened applications for the position of three and a half-year head coach of the Indian men’s cricket team.
The board announced in a press release that the application deadline is May 27, 2024.
The press statement went on to say, “The selection process will include a thorough review of applications, followed by personal interviews and assessments of shortlisted candidates.”
After the T20 World Cup in the Americas, on July 1, the newly appointed coach will assume leadership of the squad; their tenure will end on December 31, 2027.
The BCCI mandated that the applicant, who must be under 60 years of age, must have participated in at least 30 Test matches or 50 One-Day Internationals, and must have served in a comparable capacity as a full member Test nation for at least two years.
BCCI secretary Jay Shah recently stated that Dravid would need to reapply if he wanted to stay on the team after the T20 World Cup.
“The time under Rahul Dravid is drawing to a close. If he must proceed, he must reapply. We are searching for a three-year long coach,” Shah recently told a small group of media members.
But since Dravid has been in the position since November 2021, it will be difficult for him to reapply given the projected extended term of 3.5 years.
His two-year contract was originally set to expire with the home 50-over World Cup of the previous year, but it was extended due to the short notice required to name a replacement coach in front of India’s tour of South Africa and the T20 World Cup in the Americas.
But during his tenure, the incoming coach will have some significant tasks to complete, maybe beginning with the away white ball series in Sri Lanka in July.
After that, there will be two home Test series against New Zealand and Bangladesh before going to Australia to compete in the highly regarded Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which is currently held by India.
In 2025, in addition to a visit to England in the middle of the year, there is the Champions Trophy in Pakistan. The 50-over World Cup is scheduled for South Africa in 2027, and the Twenty20 World Cup will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka a year later.
The shift from batting legends Virat Kohli and current captain Rohit Sharma, who are 35 and 37 years old, respectively, and are in the evening phase of their sparkling careers, will also fall to the new coach.