SL vs IND | Will be surprised if Rahul Dravid doesn't turn into India's full-time coach, claims WV RamanĀ
Dravid alongside Dhawan for the pre-tour presser
|WV Raman has proclaimed that it would be surprising if Rahul Dravid doesn't take over as India's head coach in times to come. He also added that the Indian skipper Shikhar Dhawan will need to be patient and ensure that he scores runs to impress the selectors for the T20 World Cup.
The much-awaited series between India and Sri Lanka will be commencing from July 18 onwards with the first ODI taking place in Colombo. It will also be the first time when Rahul Dravid, who has had prior experience of coaching India A and India U-19 sides, coaches the senior men's team, though it will be in an interim capacity. However, there are speculations that Rahul Dravid can take over as India's full-time coach after Ravi Shastri's tenure finishes with the T20 World Cup in UAE and Oman, later this year. Shastri has been coaching the Indian team since 2017. His tenure was extended last time after it ended with the World Cup 2019.
Former Indian women's coach WV Raman has claimed that he won't be surprised if Rahul Dravid takes over as the Indian head coach in the days to come.
āIt (Dravid becoming a full-time coach) is likely to happen. There is no saying as to when it will, but I will be surprised if it doesnāt happen sometime in the (near) future," Raman told TOI.
The Sri Lanka series will be extremely important for Shikhar Dhawan, who has lost his T20I spot to KL Rahul. Raman asserted that he will need to bat patiently and make runs to regain his place in the shortest format. Dhawan had earlier finished as the leading run-getter in this year's curtailed IPL.Ā
āIn case of Shikhar, it is a case of retaining his competitive edge, waiting and watching as to how things pan out. Unlike others, Shikhar needs to be a bit more patient and needs to try and ensure that he makes the best possible use of these matches and put the ball in the selectorsā court,ā the former India opener stated.
Prithvi Shaw, who last appeared for India in the Test series Down Under, will also be returning after taking the Vijay Hazare Trophy and the IPL by storm. Raman termed him a quality player. āHe is a quality player and this tour is an opportunity for him to gets runs against an international side,ā Raman asserted.
The ODI series will comprise three games, while the T20I series will also have the same number of matches. Earlier, the series was slated to start on July 13. However, a few personnel in the Sri Lanka support staff had tested positive for COVID-19, which delayed the start of the white-ball series.
