Rahul Dravid officially appointed Team India's head coach

Putting a rubber stamp on months of speculation, Rahul Dravid has been officially appointed as the head coach of the Indian cricket team for two years.

The former India captain will replace incumbent coach Ravi Shastri after the ongoing T20 World Cup. His first assignment will be the home series against New Zealand which will start on November 17. The Kiwis tour of India will consist of three T20Is and two Tests.

In an official statement, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly congratulated his former teammate, expressing hope that Rahul Dravid's new role will take India to "new heights". Ganguly said:

"The BCCI welcomes Rahul Dravid as the Head Coach of India’s senior men team. Rahul has had an illustrious playing career and is one of the greats of the game. He has also served Indian cricket as Head of National Cricket Academy (NCA) with distinction. Rahul’s effort at the NCA has nurtured several young cricketing talents who have gone on to represent the country at the international stage. I am hopeful that his new stint will take Indian cricket to new heights."

Apart from his on-field success, Rahul Dravid has been hailed for building Team India's bench strength and a robust supply line via his roles with the Under-19 and India 'A' programs.

"I look forward to working with the players and the support staff to achieve our potential" - Rahul Dravid

Speaking about his new role, Rahul Dravid said he is looking forward to taking the baton from Shastri. He added that his focus will be on helping Team India achieve their potential in the 2022 T20 World Cup and 2023 ODI World Cup.

Rahul Dravid remarked:

"It is an absolute honour to be appointed as the new Head Coach of the Indian Cricket Team and I am really looking forward to this role. Under Mr Shastri, the team has done very well, and I hope to work with the team to take this forward. Having worked closely with most of the boys either at NCA, U19 and India A setup, I know they have the passion and desire to improve every day. There are some marquee multi-team events in the next two years, and I look forward to working with the players and the support staff to achieve our potential."

Rahul Dravid will start his journey alongside a new T20I captain, with Virat Kohli set to step down from the role after T20 World Cup 2021.