IND v SL 2021: Rahul Dravid likely to take over as full-time head coach whenever he is ready, says WV Raman

WV Raman believes it's only a matter of time before Rahul Dravid takes over as India's full-time head coach. Raman didn't commit on when the same could happen, but said the promotion has been a hot topic among stakeholders for the past few years and is 'likely' as soon as Dravid is 'ready'.

Rahul Dravid has been touted as a full-time contender since India's semi-final loss in the 2015 World Cup. The rumblings have grown louder now, as the nearing of incumbent Ravi Shastri's tenure date has aligned with Dravid's first head coach assignment with the national team in Sri Lanka.

“I won’t want to talk about the time frame but that (Dravid taking over as full-time head coach) is likely to happen, maybe sometime in the future. I can’t be indulging in crystal ball glazing and say when it will happen but it will happen whenever Dravid is ready. In fact, there has been a lot of talk going around for the last four-five years. It’ll happen when he feels he’s ready to take the travel,” Raman, the former India Women head coach, told Hindustan Times on Sunday.

It was widely reported in 2015 that Rahul Dravid could be at the helm of the team's post-World Cup endeavors. However, the batting legend was apparently reluctant because of the time and travel demands of the job.

When your subject in the background & foreground are all smiles 😉Zen Mode 🔛All calm before the series opener tomorrow 😃Good night folks 😊#TeamIndia #SLvIND pic.twitter.com/nNBuc86cuW

— BCCI (@BCCI) July 17, 2021

In the meantime, Dravid built his reputation with the India 'A' and under-19 teams. He has overseen the development of a robust bench, which is clearly visible in the second-string team for the Sri Lanka tour.

"Rahul Dravid can make players aware of the talent they possess" - WV Raman

Wasim Jaffer thinks that Rahul Dravid should not be team India's permanent head coach. pic.twitter.com/5BhXLYSsNU

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Raman lauded Rahul Dravid for getting the best out of each player and said he could present even better results in a longer tenure with the team rather than a month-long tour.

“He can make them aware of the talent they possess. And he can also help them utilize that talent towards achieving the optimum. He’s anyway worked with most of these youngsters for a period of three-four years. But if he’s there with them regularly for a period of say two years, it will be easier to make changes as both the players and he will stick together and chalk out a plan or a routine on how to go about things. So a lot depends on the tenure that a coach works with the players,” Raman added.

Rahul Dravid's first match as head coach will get underway at 3:00 PM IST when the Shikhar Dhawan-led India take on Dasun Shanaka's Sri Lanka in an ODI game at Colombo.