The Rahul Dravid era will officially begin on November 17 as India take on New Zealand the first of three-T20I series. The former India captain has taken over the helms from Ravi Shastri after his tenure came to an end with India's campaign in T20 World Cup 2021. The BCCI has appointed the 48-year-old until 2023 and will be the man in charge for the upcoming important series against England, Australia and ICC tournaments like T20 World Cup 2022 and the 50-over World Cup in 2023. Talking about the appointment of ‘The Wall’, BCCI president and his former teammate Sourav Ganguly has said that Dravid's is the happiest by the recent series of events.
Ganguly said that his former colleague’s son Samit feels relieved as he will no longer have to face strict training routine.
Speaking at a program in Sharjah the Bengal born former player stated, “I got a call from him saying his father was being too strict with him and that he needed to be taken away. That’s when I called Rahul (Dravid) and told him that it was time for him to join the national team.”
Ganguly also suggested that his relationship with Dravid down the years has been smooth and is looking forward to work with him on board.
“We grew up together, started around the same time, and spent most of the time playing together. So it was easy for some of us to make him feel welcome and wanted,” he added. Questioned about India vs Pakistan series in the future he added, “Neither BCCI nor PCB has any control over it.”
While there is a funny side to the story it will be a no non-sense task from the former India captain. He will be tasked with taking India to the glory in all three formats. The former Under-19 coach and National Cricket Academy (NCA) head has a proven track record with Prithvi Shaw-led team winning the World Cup. The former Karnataka batter has also been in charge of India A side in the past grooming players like Rishabh Pant, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devdutt Padikkal and others.
