Reports | BCCI mulling appointing Rahul Dravid as coach for Sri Lanka seriesÂ
NCA head Rahul Dravid is reportedly in line to be coaching the second-string Indian side for the Sri Lanka series, with BCCI said to be deliberating over him. Not only that, the board is also in talks with the ECB to decide on the type of quarantine that the senior team will undergo in England.
Rahul Dravid, who has impressed one and all with his coaching credentials for India's junior teams, may well coach the senior Indian team that will travel to Sri Lanka in July. As most of the first-choice Indian players will be in England at that time, it will be the second-string Indian side taking the field against Sri Lanka. As per TOI reports, BCCI are mulling over Dravid's name and if he does agree for the role, he's likely to travel with his trusted coaching staff that will have names of Paras Mhambrey, Abhay Sharma and SS Das respectively.Â
As far as the senior men and women's teams are concerned, they will be leaving for England in some time. And reportedly, the BCCI have offered them charter flights from three cities to assemble in Mumbai before they leave for England in June. Notably, before jetting off to England, the players are required to undergo hard quarantine for two weeks in Mumbai though those players who are from Mumbai will enter the secure bio-bubble a week later. The players will need to have negative RT-PCR results before they enter the team's bubble in Mumbai.Â
It has also been reported that the BCCI is still deliberating with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the UK government authorities over the kind of quarantine that the teams will have to undergo upon their arrival in the UK and are trying to push for a soft quarantine. The board wants at least 10 days of practice before the teams play their first encounters respectively. They are also mulling over the quarantine regulations for the families travelling with the squad.
"There may be a hard quarantine for a few days and then the players could be allowed to train. In Australia last November, the players were in hard quarantine for three days and then they were allowed to train. But the players could not move out of their hotel rooms after practice. Something similar is being mooted this time too," a BCCI official told TOI.