Rahul Dravid handed two-year extension as India A, U19 coach

Even as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is on the lookout for a senior men's cricket team head coach following the resignation of Anil Kumble, it has been decided that Rahul Dravid will continue as the India A, U19 coach for the next two years.

The BCCI initially confirmed Dravid's contract extension with a Tweet from its official handle on Friday afternoon. It was reported earlier that the governing body's Cricket Advisory Committee, consisting Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman, did not have any reservations with asking their former teammate to continue working with the junior and 'A' teams.

Notably, the former Karnataka batsman's 10-month initial contract expired on March 31 earlier this year. Dravid will now lead India A to a tri-nation series in South Africa next month, which will be followed by two four-day first-class matches against the hosts.

"Over the last two years, Rahul Dravid has been instrumental in getting young talent into the mix who have proved their worth on the big stage," BCCI acting president CK Khanna said. "We are glad to continue his services for the next two years and are sure that this is a bright sign for Indian cricket which will see many more young talents coming up in the future.

BCCI had invited applications for the post of senior team's head coach even when Kumble was holding the post and there was no automatic option for extension. However, Dravid's case was different as his contract reportedly included a special clause that enabled his deal to be extended.

Dravid will now most probably cut ties with the IPL and is expected to step down as the mentor of the Delhi Daredevils side to avoid being drawn into a conflict of interest issue.

Notably, cricket historian Ramachandra Guha, who recently resigned from his post as a member of BCCI's Committee of Administrators (CoA), brought up the conflict of interest issue and took a dig at Dravid in his resignation letter.

It prompted Dravid to explain his position to the CoA. The legendary batsman defended his stand, saying he was "not under any conflict of interest" as per his original contract with the BCCI.

Meanwhile, Ravi Shastri and Virender Sehwag are considered frontrunners for the head coach of the senior team. The deadline for applying for the high-profile job is July 9. Tom Moody, Richard Pybus, Dodda Ganesh and Lalchand Rajput are also in the race.