India: BCCI official confirms change in T20 setup, is that the end of Rahul Dravid?

That will mean the departure of Rahul Dravid as the coach of India in the T20 format. India was knocked out from the recently concluded T20 World Cup after a defeat against England in the semifinals. England were the eventual winners, after beating Pakistan in the final.

India haven’t won the T20 World Cup since 2007, and to turn things around, BCCI is considering a radical change in the setup. And a top BCCI official reportedly confirmed that to the Indian outlet Inside Sport.

“We are seriously mulling on it. More than it being Rahul Dravid or anyone’s ability, it is a question of managing tight schedules & having specialized skills on board. T20 now is like a separate sport, tough calendar & regular events. We also need to imbibe change. Yes, I can confirm – India soon will have a new T20 Coaching SET-UP”, a BCCI official said as quoted by Inside Sport.

“We are not sure by when, but we are certain about India needs fresh approach to T20 SET-UP. We will have an announcement of new captain before January. And new coach can follow, but as I said nothing is final”, said the official without revealing any further details. And he also confirmed that no one has been prioritised for that post yet.

Ravi Shastri and Harbhajan Singh voiced their opinion on a separate coach for the T20 setup in recent days, and it seems BCCI will follow suit.

“Someone who has played the game more recently is better suited for the coaching job in T20s. I am not saying you remove Rahul from T20. Ashish and Rahul can work together to build this team for the 2024 World Cup,” Harbhajan recently told PTI.

“I think for T20 cricket, there’s no harm in having a new captain, new coach because the volume of cricket is such that for one person to play or manage all three formats of the game is never going to be easy,” Shastri was quoted in a virtual news conference.

Rahul Dravid’s contract in the T20 format as an India coach remains till the ODI World Cup of 2023. It has to be seen how the amendment takes place in the current conundrum. India has done well under the tutelage of Dravid in the T20 format. They couldn’t win the World Cup, but have won the last 4 bilateral T20I series.

It has been reported that seniors like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli may not be considered for the T20 format anymore. It looks like Hardik Pandya will take over the captaincy reins after he was given the captaincy in the recently concluded T20 series against New Zealand. Rohit is set to remain the India skipper in the other two formats.