Rahul Dravid appointed as Team India head coach — Why is he chosen one?

In a major coup, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has managed to convince Rahul Dravid to take over as head coach of the Indian men's cricket team.

On Saturday, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah had met Dravid in Dubai and following long negotiations, the former Indian captain eventually agreed to be the head coach for two years. Ever since it was made clear that Ravi Shastri would step down as the head coach after the T20 World Cup, BCCI wanted Dravid to fill his shoes.

Dravid had his share of concerns. He has family responsibilities in Bangalore, children are still in school and much needs to be done at the domestic level – he tried to convince the BCCI. He was happy handling the responsibilities at the National Cricket Academy (NCA).

Dravid even re-applied for the when his contract at NCA ended in August. BCCI had to look at other options, including Anil Kumble and VVS Laxman. Given Kumble's past controversies with Virat Kohli and Laxman's lack of experience as full-time coach, the offers couldn't be made.

The BCCI has long been interested in Dravid and with his past experiences to show, he would be the right candidate to guide the team as the team enters a transitional mode.

It is learnt that Dravid has sought time, but board officials insist that he won't make a U-turn once the BCCI formally puts out an ad. Dravid will be joined by Paras Mhambrey, who has been working alongside him in India A and India Under-19 teams as bowling coach since 2015.

Dravid retired from international cricket in March 2012 but played two more seasons of the Indian Premier League for Rajasthan Royals. Being the captain and a senior figure, he was also the mentor of the side till he retired in 2013. In 2014, Dravid took over officially as a mentor of Rajasthan Royals. In his first season as a mentor, RR finished fifth, missing out on a playoffs spot in the narrowest of margins possible.

In 2015, RR finished third, losing to Royal Challengers Bangalore in the eliminator. Despite the loss, it was a good season for RR.

Then he became the head coach of the India Under-19 and India A teams. Success followed immediately: India were the runner-up in the ICC Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh in 2016, where the likes of Rishabh Pant, Ishan Kishan and Washington Sundar emerged.

In 2017, Dravid continued to be the coach of the India Under-19 and A teams and the next year, his mentees, Prithvi Shaw and co went one step ahead and gave Dravid what he missed in 2016: the Under-19 World Cup title, lifting the trophy in New Zealand. It was the tournament where the likes of Shaw, Shubman Gill, Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Shivam Mavi emerged.

In 2019, Dravid was appointed as the Director of Cricket Operations at the National Cricket Academy for the development of young cricketers in the country. Every player who trained under him, has gone on to credit Dravid for improving their game. Such has been Dravid's influence.