BCCI secretary Jay Shah revealed that the contract of India head coach Rahul Dravid has not yet been finalized. Due to the lack of time, they were unable to do that and after they came back from the South Africa series final decision could be taken.
Dravid’s tenure as a head coach ended in the World Cup final and then due to the great performance of the team under his guidance he was again selected as the head coach of India. But his tenure for the position is not yet decided and when they will be back in India after the South Africa series, the final decision should be made mutually.
Also Mr Secretary revealed about Hardik Pandya’s ongoing fitness programme in the NCA (National Cricket Academy) in Bengaluru where his fitness is monitored. Also Rohit Sharma’s participation in the T20 World Cup has not been clearly assured.
Mohammad Shami who is probably going to play the Test matches against Proteas, has yet to join the fitness programme in the NCA.
BCCI secretary, Jay Shah said about the Rahul Dravid’s extension,
“We have given the extension but we are yet to finalise the contract. We did not get time at all. I had a meeting with them (Dravid and company) and we agreed mutually that they will continue. We will sit down and decide once they return from South Africa.”
Regarding Hardik Pandya’s fitness he added,
“He is at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru and is working hard for his return. The medical staff is monitoring him on a daily basis. He can be fit before the Afghanistan series.”
Related to Mohammad Shami’s chances in playing the Test matches against South Africa, he continued,
“Shami could play the test series against South Africa. He is not at the NCA at the moment but will go there. We are confident that he will be fine.”
Dravid joined the Indian team in 2021 after replacing head coach Ravi Shastri. Under his guidance, the team performed brilliantly. Team was the finalist in the ODI World Cup and World Test Championship. Also a semi finalist in the 2022 T20 World Cup. Won the 2023 Asia Cup championship quite easily.