Stressing on the factor of maintaining continuity, BCCI (Board of Cricket Control in India) has offered Rahul Dravid an extension to continue as India's head coach. It has been learnt that Dravid was indeed approached by the BCCI last week, with the tenure of the extension in a report.
As per the report in ESPNcricinfo, it is yet to get confirmed whether Rahul Dravid has accepted the coaching offer or not.
The report further stated,"The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is reportedly keen on retaining Dravid to ensure continuity in the structure he has established over the past two years. The potential appointment of a new head coach might disrupt this established framework."
If Dravid accepts the offer, his first coaching assignment in his second stint will be India's tour of South Africa, commencing with the white-ball leg on December 10, consisting of three T20Is and ODIs each, followed by two Tests in Centurion (starting from December 26) and Cape Town (starting from January 3). Subsequently, there is a five-match Test series against England at home before the T20 World Cup in June.
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Dravid took over from Ravi Shastri after the T20 World Cup in 2021, initially appointed for a two-year term that concluded with the recently concluded ODI World Cup, where India finished as runners-up. This marked India's joint-best performance at ICC events under Dravid as coach, following their loss to Australia in the World Test Championship final in June. Prior to that, India was defeated by England in the semi-final of the 2022 T20 World Cup.
If Dravid continues, it is anticipated that he will retain the same group of assistant coaches he collaborated with in 2021: Vikram Rathour as batting coach, Paras Mhambrey as bowling coach, and T Dilip as fielding coach.
After the World Cup final defeat, Dravid expressed pride in India's No. 1 ranking across all three formats. However, the absence of a global trophy was acknowledged as a "disappointment." When questioned about his future in the role, Dravid stated that he had not yet contemplated it, having been fully immersed in preparations for the World Cup.
"I haven't thought about it. I have no time to think about this, and no time to reflect on this. I will when I get the time to do that. But at this point of time, I was completely focused on this campaign. It was focused on this World Cup, and there was nothing else on my mind. And I haven't given any other thought to what happens in the future," Dravid said.