‘It will be nice working with him’ – Rohit Sharma opines on Rahul Dravid’s official appointment as Team India’s head coach

Team India’s ODI and T20I vice-captain Rohit Sharma is looking forward to plying his trade under the tutelage of Rahul Dravid, who’s recently been appointed as the head coach of the national team. Dravid is set to replace Ravi Shastri, whose tenure will end following India’s campaign in the ongoing edition of the T20 World Cup in Oman and the United Arab Emirates.

In the post-match press conference after the Men in Blue’s 66-run win over Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi, Rohit lauded Dravid for being a great servant of Indian cricket over the years. The Nagpur-born Rohit was also happy to see Dravid making a comeback to the national setup, albeit in a “different capacity”.

He is a stalwart of Indian cricket, says Rohit Sharma

“Congratulations to him for coming back, but in different capacity, in the Indian team. We look forward to working with him. He is a stalwart of Indian cricket and it will be nice working with him in the future,” Rohit was quoted as saying.

The 48-year-old Dravid, in the meantime, was honoured and privileged to be appointed as Team India’s new head coach.

“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,” Dravid said.

Back in July, Dravid was named India’s head coach for the tour of Sri Lanka when Shastri was in England with another Indian team. Dravid has also coached India U19 and India A teams. Moreover, the veteran has worked at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru.

“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 added.

Dravid’s first assignment as India’s coach starts with the home series against New Zealand, starting November 17.