Rahul Bhai knows many young boys, will be an asset as head coach: R Ashwin

Dubai: Indian spinner Ravichandra Ashwin on Thursday said the immense knowledge of Rahul Dravid and his acquaintance of many young players, will help India scale bigger heights, once he takes charge as head coach of the senior cricket team.

"I think Rahul bhai has got an immense depth of knowledge. He has been through the NCA grind. He also has been the coach of A-team. He has played with some of us in the dressing room, he also knows all the young boys. I am really looking forward to it and contributing alongside Rahul Bhai," Ashwin said in a virtual pre-match press conference here.

Yesterday, BCCI announced the appointment of Dravid as Team India Head Coach.

Speaking on the occasion, Dravid had said, "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."

The BCCI had invited applications for the said position on October 26 to appoint Ravi Shastri’s successor, whose term gets over after the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup.

"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," Dravid had stated.

The former India captain will take charge from the upcoming home series against New Zealand.

Welcoming Dravid as the Head Coach, BCCI President Sourav Ganguly had said "Rahul was one of the greats of the game and hoped that his new stint will take Indian cricket to new heights."

BCCI Honorary Secretary Jay Shah also had said there was no better person than Dravid to don the mantle of the Head Coach.

With two World Cups scheduled to take place in the next two years, it is important to have a seamless transition, and the former India captain is the right man for the job, he had said.

"Having provided the much-needed direction to NCA and overseen the progression of the boys at India U-19 and India A level, we believe this is also a natural progression for him as a coach," he had added.

Shah had said he has no doubt that under him, the Indian team will dominate in all formats. The Board will soon make appointments of other coaching staff, who will support the Head Coach in jointly achieving its targets, he added. (UNI)