Rahul Dravid was the first preference as coach; but he opted for junior team

BCCI President Anurag Thakur had announced the appointment of Anil Kumble as the head coach for team India on Thursday. After the announcement, Thakur also revealed that Rahul Dravid was the original choice but the latter opted to stay out himself.

Speaking to NDTV, he admitted that he asked Dravid to take up the role, who is currently coaching the junior team. Thakur said, “I requested Rahul Dravid to coach the Indian team. He didn’t say no, but said that he will work for the junior team.”

“That is the good thing about Dravid. He didn’t go for the senior team post, big money and all. He wanted to work for the junior cricketers and not the senior team,” Thakur added.

Dravid had earlier said that he is only looking for short-term assignments, “I can only do short-term assignments, I can’t stay away from home for long periods of time, short assignments suit me better.”

Also read: Great to be back in the Indian dressing room: Anil Kumble

The coach was selected by the Cricket Advisory Committee which comprises of the former Indian cricketers Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman.

Dravid coached the U19 Indian side to the finals of the junior World Cup earlier this year and worked as the mentor for the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Delhi Daredevils, which brought a lot of youngsters into the limelight.

Also read – Virat Kohli & Co welcomes Anil Kumble to the team

Backing Anil’s experience, Thakur affirmed, “It’s about who is the best for Indian cricket. India deserves the best, and I think we have it in Kumble.”