Kolkata: Not long ago was Indian legend Rahul Dravid was handed a two-year contract to remain as the coach of the India U-19 and India A teams. The legend ever since his retirement has done a commendable job in nurturing young talent and the results have also proven the same.
The India U-19 side is all set to tour England for two four-day matches followed by a five-match ODI series. These matches are extremely important if seen in the context of the U-19 World Cup which is scheduled to be held next year as it would be a good preparation for both these teams. Both these sides also played against each other this year in February when England toured India.
India A on the other hand are to tour South Africa for two four-day games and a tri-series which would also involve Australia. The dates of this tour would coincide with the India U-19 tour of England and so the 44-year old Dravid might just be replaced by an interim coach who would accompany the Indian colts to England.
Rahul Dravid has been asked to give more preference to the India A team and so , W.V Raman might be the coach of the India U-19 side that would tour England. While this isn’t official yet, reports suggest that Raman is a frontrunner in the race for becoming the interim coach as Dravid has suggested Paras Mhambrey’s name as the assistant coach. Raman has already coached the Indian U-19 side in the past.
Also, there is a good chance of the South Africa tour getting cancelled because of the current dispute between the Australian Cricket Association and the Australian cricket board which might lead the players to boycott the tour. Under such circumstances, India too might pull out of the tour as it wouldn’t be sensible enough to travel to South Africa just for two four-day matches. If that happens, then Dravid might travel to England with the U-19 team.
