Dravid to coach India A, U-19 teams - BCCI

Former India captain Rahul Dravid has agreed in principle to become the coach of the India Under-19 and A teams, BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur confirmed during a board advisory meeting on Saturday.

"The good news is that Rahul Dravid has agreed to coach India A and India Under-19 in the future," Thakur said. Dravid's first assignment will be preparing India A for a home series against Australia A and South Africa A in July and August. India A will play two four-day matches against both the visiting teams, and will also compete in a tri-series, to be played in Chennai and Wayanad. He will also accompany the Under-19 team to next year's World Cup in Bangladesh.

Dravid had been widely tipped for the post since Tuesday, when ESPNcricinfo reported that the BCCI had a "role in mind" for him, with Thakur himself mentioning that "for any cricketer of that stature, the BCCI would like to have their services." Dravid was even approached to join the cricket advisory committee with former batsmen Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman, but he declined the offer as he was keener on a more hands-on role.

Since 2014, Dravid has been serving as mentor of Rajasthan Royals in the IPL, grooming several young players such as Sanju Samson, Karun Nair and Deepak Hooda. He also had a short stint as batting consultant of the Indian team ahead of their tour of England last year, and several players spoke highly of their interactions with the former captain.

There had been talk among top BCCI officials of offering Dravid the position of head coach, but he was reluctant to take up a full-time role since he has a young family and did not prefer a job that required incessant travel.