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Rahul Dravid Gets Another Shot as India Head Coach Amid Wait For Crowning Moment

Well-established in cricketing circles, Rahul Dravid was re-appointed as Team India's head coach on Wednesday. Sputnik India examines why the move could be good news both for him and India's present captain, Rohit Sharma, and his men.
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The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) handed Rahul Dravid a contract extension as head coach of the national side.
The ex-India captain's previous two-year stint as the chief coach of the Men in Blue ended after the 2023 Cricket World Cup final, in which the Rohit Sharma-led team suffered a heartbreaking loss to Australia in Ahmedabad earlier this month.

Following the disappointing defeat in the World Cup title clash, reports emerged that Dravid would leave Team India's set-up and move to the Indian Premier League (IPL), the world's top T20 league.

Some media outlets also claimed that the former batting stalwart was no longer interested in coaching Team India after failing to accomplish his long-cherished dream of winning the ICC Men's World Cup.

Widely regarded as an all-time great of the sport, Dravid, who made over 23,000 runs across formats in international cricket, couldn't lift a World Cup title during his 16-year-old illustrious career that began in 1996 and finished in 2012.

But the BCCI top brass, including the Indian Cricket Board's secretary Jay Shah, seemed to have convinced Dravid for a second term in one of the hottest seats within the South Asian nation's sporting fraternity.

The 50-year-old batting legend himself confirmed the news.

"The last two years with Team India have been thoroughly memorable. Together, we have witnessed the highs and lows, and throughout this journey, the support and camaraderie within the group have been phenomenal. I am genuinely proud of the culture we have set in the dressing room. It's a culture that stands resilient, whether in moments of triumph or adversity. The skills and talent that our team possesses are phenomenal, and what we've stressed is following the right process and sticking to our preparations, which has had a direct impact on the overall result," Dravid said in a statement after his re-appointment.

"I thank the BCCI and the Office Bearers for placing their trust in me, endorsing my vision, and providing support during this period. The demands of this role necessitate considerable time away from home, and I deeply appreciate my family's sacrifices and support. Their instrumental role behind the scenes has been invaluable. As we embrace new challenges post the World Cup, we remain committed to the pursuit of excellence," he added.

However, well before the BCCI confirmed the news about his return as India's head coach, many ex-cricketers, including 2011 World Cup winner Gautam Gambhir, called for a contract extension for Dravid.

Though his previous tenure as head coach didn't end in a fairytale, Gambhir acknowledged that his relaxed nature has had a calming influence on the Indian team.

Additionally, the southpaw was extremely happy with the aggressive brand of cricket that Dravid introduced within the system.
Even captain Rohit publicly praised Dravid for the new approach that his side employed during the World Cup.
"Dravid's contract as head coach should be automatically renewed. The kind of cricket that India played throughout the World Cup, if you are going to judge a coach by just one match then it is a wrong precedent," Gambhir told a sports publication days ahead of Dravid's return at the helm of affairs within India's coaching set-up.
Interestingly, Dravid is considered an eternal bridesmaid in cricket because he failed to lift an ICC trophy during a remarkable career where he earned admiration and accolades even from his opponents.

That's perhaps why his return as India's coach could be a message from God that World Cup glory is not too far away from him. After all, the T20 World Cup will be held in June next year.
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