The BCCI, on Wednesday (November 29), announced that the contracts of head coach Rahul Dravid as well as other members of the support staff have been extended. The contract had expired after the conclusion of the ICC World Cup 2023 earlier this month.

Speculations were rife that Rahul Dravid would decline the offer to extend his stay with Team India in order to stay close to his family. Reports also suggested that the former India skipper was willing to work with an IPL franchise and was already approached by two teams. According to reports, he was set to be replaced by his former teammate VVS Laxman as the head coach.

The BCCI, however, has announced that Rahul Dravid would continue as the head coach of the team. The board also announced a contract extension for batting coach Vikram Rathour, bowling coach Paras Mhambrey and fielding coach T Dilip.

Duration of Rahul Dravid’s tenure:

While the BCCI announced the contract extension, it did not announce the length of the contract, stating: “The BCCI engaged in productive discussions with 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.”

According to a report in Cricbuzz, Rahul Dravid’s contract has been extended till the ICC Twenty20 World Cup in 2024 and it starts with immediate effect. His first assignment will be the forthcoming tour of South Africa where Team India are scheduled to play three T20Is, three ODIs and a couple of Tests. The T20I series is scheduled to start on December 10.

The report further stated that the contract will be reviewed after the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and the United States. The T20 World Cup starts on June 3 and runs till June 30. Effectively, Dravid’s new extension ends with the end of June. The contract of the support staff members will also be reviewed after the World Cup.

Not very long ago, there were reports that BCCI was not willing to extend Rahul Dravid’s contract but things changed after Team India’s stunning performance in the World Cup. Although the Men in Blue lost the final, the brand of cricket they displayed throughout the competition received praise from all around.