Rahul Dravid is all set to extend his tenure as coach of the India ‘A’ and Under-19 teams as his contract has been renewed for two more years, according to the reports.
The former India skipper had run out of contract as the U-19 coach in March this year. And although there were speculations over his future as the coach after former Committee of Administrator (CoA) member Ramachandra Guha had raised the issue of Dravid’s conflict of interest in his letter to the head of the CoA, Vinod Rai, BCCI’s Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), comprising of Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman, has pinned its faith in Dravid.
As per the reports in The Indian Express, the terms and conditions of Dravid’s new contract — including the remuneration aspect — have not been finalised yet. Earlier reports had suggested that the CAC was told to replicate the selection process used in selecting the Team India coach for U19 and ‘A’ teams too.
However, The Indian Express has claimed that the BCCI decided there would be no open interview process and calling for applications from interested candidates.
A BCCI official stated that Dravid’s contract was extended because of a clause in his existing contract.
“In Dravid’s contract, there is a line which states the BCCI can give an extension to him. Whereas, in (Anil) Kumble’s contract there is no clause of extension. That is why process (to call me applicants) was followed in Kumble’s case,” the BCCI official was quoted as saying by the news outlet.
Another source revealed that the CAC has selected Dravid as their choice but the final decision would depend on the remuneration. Dravid had received more than four crores for the 10-month contract he held earlier for the similar role.
“The CAC has approved the two-year extension and now everything depends on money to be paid to Dravid. The earlier contract was for ten months and board paid him more than four crores. Now, a new contract with new salary has to be provided. There is the chance that his appointment would come up at board special general body meeting,” another source revealed.
Meanwhile, the BCCI had invited applications for India’s head coach post. Anil Kumble, whose contract has expired after the Champions Trophy, has been asked to accompany the team for the upcoming limited-overs series of West Indies but speculations are rife that a new coach will be at helm sooner than later.