Rahul Dravid will not travel with the Indian team to Sri Lanka

Ravi Shastri was appointed as the Indian cricket team’s head coach for the second time a couple of days ago. He will be supported by the likes of Zaheer Khan and Rahul Dravid. Zak has bagged the role of bowling consultant of the India team. Rahul ‘The Wall’ Dravid, who is also the coach of the Indian A as well as the Under-19 side, has been appointed as the batting consultant of Indian for overseas Tests.

For obvious reasons, his dual roles are bound to overlap each other, as is the case with the upcoming series against Sri Lanka. Since Dravid was appointed as the batting consultant for only the overseas Tests, he would be expected to be with the team on the island. But that is not the case. The legal team of the BCCI is still working on the clause to fit Dravid’s new role for the Men in Blue, as his hectic schedule may hamper his contribution and effect.

India will play three Tests, five ODIs and a single T20I against Sri Lanka. But at the same time, India A team will be in South Africa. Dravid, the man who is now the batting consultant of the senior team, will travel with the A side to South Africa and will miss the series against Sri Lanka.

What’s in the clause?

According to a BCCI official, Dravid will not be asked to mentor the team for all overseas Test series. He will only be called upon when necessary. “The clause is ‘he’ll be called whenever he is needed’. It doesn’t mean he will have to travel on every overseas tour. The board is currently zeroing down on the amount he needs to be paid on top of the existing contract. But one thing is certain that no fresh contract will be made for his role with Team India. It is kind of a part of the compensation,” revealed a top BCCI official while speaking to the Times of India.

“Dravid will obviously not travel with the team to Sri Lanka as he has to be with the ‘A’ side in South Africa and Zaheer Khan and Ravi Shastri will take charge during the upcoming tour. So, all these points need to be kept in mind while formulating Dravid’s contract,” he further added.