At the end of the ODI World Cup, the head coach Rahul Dravid's two-year contract will expire; however, if the Indian team wins the prized trophy, Dravid's future would be closely watched.
Source: Press Trust of India
At the end of the ODI World Cup, his two-year contract will expire, although head coach Rahul Dravid's future will be closely watched in the event that the Indian team wins the coveted trophy. Although a mere semi-final appearance wouldn't be seen as sufficient, it is inevitable that Dravid will be one of the fall men if India fails at least make it to the title showdown. It will be intriguing to watch if "The Wall" will be enthusiastic about a contract extension, whether partial or full, in the event that Board chief Jay Shah extends a new offer. The BCCI may conduct another search for a coach.
With the England (home series) and South Africa (away series) series planned so close to the World Cup, there is a school of thinking that Dravid, if he is interested, should stay as the red ball coach. After the World Cup, there is no harm in having distinct coaches for the limited-overs and Test formats, exactly as England does with Brendon McCullum (red ball) and Matthew Mott (white ball).
Assignment breaks have been given to Dravid so that he can rest because living out of a suitcase while working a job with such high demands can be exhausting. An ideal candidate would be successful IPL coach Ashish Nehra, but sources close to the former left-arm seamer claim that he is now "not interested" because his contract with Gujarat Titans runs through the conclusion of the 2025 season.
"Suppose India wins the World Cup, Dravid himself might not want a renewal as he would like to end his stint on a high. But if you ask me, post World Cup, the BCCI should seriously think of having separate coaches for separate formats. They should ask Rahul to continue as red ball coach," a former BCCI office-bearer told PTI on conditions of anonymity. At this point, whether it is Dravid or the Board top brass, they would like the focus on the big event, which starts October 5.
While Dravid was welcomed with great excitement after Ravi Shastri left, as a white ball coach, he hasn't really made a mark that would lead people to think of him as a cunning tactician.
Instead, he has been viewed as someone who tends to be a little defensive when making difficult decisions, both in T20Is and ODIs.
The choice to bench Ravichandran Ashwin during the World Test Championship final didn't seem like a very wise one, especially considering that he had allowed the top three in the T20I World Cup to continue despite being past their prime in the shortest format.
Decisions like KL Rahul's inclusion in the World Cup squad without first demonstrating his match fitness or the absence of a right-arm spinner (finger or wrist) may come back to bite him.
Dravid isn't a great white ball coach, and someone with a more hands-on approach could aid the squad in the following phase when certain legends will be expected to walk into the sunset, even though a lot will rely on the team's performance at the World Cup.
There have been numerous instances in history where coaches have been made to seem bad when a team loses a big game, so it will be interesting to see the future of Indian Coach.