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The BCCI will not make the same error it did the previous year by inviting applicants for the head coach position just after the tenure of the current coach had finished. In order to accommodate the upcoming T20 World Cup in June, departing coach Rahul Dravid was persuaded to accept a one-year extension.
This time around, applications will be invited even before the team leaves for the T20 World Cup. Should Dravid want to continue, he will have to re-apply. “We will call for applications in the next few days,” Jay Shah, the BCCI secretary, said during a media interaction at the BCCI headquarters. “Rahul Dravid’s tenure is coming to an end in June. If he wants to re-apply, he can.”
Shah stated that the new head coach will be given the opportunity to lead the team through the 2027 ODI World Cup. The new head coach will advise on the appointments of the remaining backroom personnel. India is not likely to divide the coaching roles according to formats, according to Shah.
“We are looking for a long-term coach for three years,” Shah said. “There is no precedent of different coaches for different formats in Indian cricket. Besides, we have a number of all-format players. Ultimately, it will be the Cricket Advisory Committee’s (CAC) call. I have to implement what they decide.”
A new national selector, for which the BCCI had already published an advertisement in January of this year, will also be chosen by the CAC. Salil Ankola, the second member of the selection committee from the west zone, is probably going to be replaced by this selector. Most likely, the new member is from the northern zone. “A few interviews for the selector’s post have already happened,” Shah said. “The CAC will meet in a week’s time to finalise the name, and we will announce it soon.”
Shah additionally verified that the Indian team will travel in two groups to the USA and the West Indies for the T20 World Cup. On May 24, the coaching staff and players whose teams miss out on the IPL playoffs will depart. After the Indian Premier League on May 26, the remaining players will depart. On June 5, India will play their opening game against Ireland.