The India tour of Zimbabwe will not only feature a second-string side led by KL Rahul but head coach Rahul Dravid will not be available for the three-ODI series either. Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah has confirmed that National Cricket Academy (NCA) head VVS Laxman will be acting as India’s head coach for the short tour because there is a short turnaround time between the series and Asia Cup.
"Yes, VVS Laxman will be in charge of the Indian team in Zimbabwe for the three-match ODI series. It's not like Rahul Dravid is taking a break. The ODI series in Zimbabwe finishes on August 22 and Dravid along with Indian team will reach the UAE on August 23. Since there is little gap between the two events, Laxman will be in charge of the Indian squad in Zimbabwe," BCCI secretary Shah told PTI on August 12.
Only two members of India’s Asia Cup squad – Rahul and Deepak Hooda – are a part of the ODI series in Zimbabwe. Shah said that it made sense for Dravid to stay back with the team. Rahul and Hooda will fly directly from Dubai to Harare as they are part of the Asia Cup squad.
Earlier, Laxman also acted as head coach for the Hardik Pandya-led side against Ireland for the T20I series while Dravid was with main squad for the rescheduled fifth Test at Edgbaston, Birmingham against England.
Rahul is making a comeback after a long time. After Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022, Rahul was ruled out of the T20I series against South Africa at home. The Karnataka batter had sports hernia surgery in Germany and returned to NCA for rehabilitation. He was selected for the West Indies tour as well but tested positive for Covid-19 which led to a further delay in his return to international cricket.
Earlier, Rahul was not named in the ODI squad for Zimbabwe tour as he was yet to be declared fit. He took over the captaincy from Shikhar Dhawan, who was given the responsibility to lead the Indian side as he did in West Indies.
