Former India cricket captain Rahul Dravid has emerged as a
strong contender for the head coach of the men’s team. Incumbent Ravi Shastri,
whose tenure ends with the T20 World Cup, will not seek an extension, reports The
New Indian Express. Dravid has till August 15 to re-apply for the head of cricket for the National Cricket Academy, a position he has held since 2019.    

He
was appointed coach of India A and Under-19 sides in 2015. The BCCI has invited
already applications for the head of cricket who will be “responsible for the
preparation, development and performance of all cricketers attending training
at the Academy.”

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Shastri, bowling coach Bharat Arun, fielding coach R Sridhar
and batting coach Vikram Rathour are planning to part ways with the team after
the T20 World Cup in the UAE, according to The Indian Express.

This would mean Dravid will have a shot at Shastri’s job
after the mega tournament in October-November should he decide to move on from
his current assignment.

The cricket board wants a “new group onboard” for the Indian
team to emerge as “world-beaters in all forms of the game”, The Indian Express
quoted sources as saying.

Press Trust of India quoted BCCI sources as saying that there
is “every possibility of Rahul being elevated to head coach’s position”.

Shastri has served the men’s team for six years with tenures
as team director and head coach. India rose to the top of Test rankings during
his tenure and registered back-to-back Test series win in Australia and a
first-time ODI series win in South Africa. India reached the semifinals of ODI World
Cup in 2019 and the final of World Test Championship this year.

Dravid served as the head coach of a second-string team on
India’s limited overs tour to Sri Lanka last month. However, he was non-committal on
whether he would like to take on the role permanently in near future as there “are
a lot of challenges in doing full-time roles, so I really don’t know.”

Dravid is credited with improving India’s bench strength.
India’s under-19 team reached the finals of the 2016 u-19 Cricket World Cup under
his coaching and won the event in 2018.