Team India coach Ravi Shastri has had his way when it came to appointments of support staff. The 55-year-old wanted his former assistant Bharat Arun in the bowling coach role even after the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) recommended Rahul Dravid and Zaheer Khan for consultant roles.
The Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) also sided with Shastri, saying it has and should always be the coach's prerogative to handpick the full-time support staff, before confirming the appointment of Arun on Tuesday, July 18.
The confusion over the roles of Khan and Dravid remained as a four-member committee appointed by the CoA said it would want the Board of Control of Cricket in India chief executive officer Rahul Johri to consult with the former cricketers before confirming their contracts.
Dravid says 'no' to overseas tours
However, it has now emerged that Dravid does not want to travel with Virat Kohli's team for overseas tours, as opposed to the initial role that was recommended by the CAC.
The former India captain has too much on his plate as he recently got a two-year extension as India A as well as U19 coach.
Dravid is currently juggling between the two roles and has even decided to skip the U19 team's tour to England to concentrate on India A tri-series in South Africa. As it turned out, he did not travel with the Team India for their upcoming Sri Lanka tour as well.
Amid the busy schedule, Dravid has insisted he will work with Virat Kohli's team during preparatory camps instead of joining the team on foreign tours, according to The Tribune. Notably, the BCCI expects inputs from the batting legend for India's tour of South Africa, which is scheduled to begin in December 2017.
"He [Dravid] is not travelling to Sri Lanka since he would be heading to South Africa for an India A tour. It is the South Africa tour for which BCCI wants him on board as it is going to be a very tough tour and the team will need his expert advice," a BCCI official said, according to the report.
It added: "Since Dravid is also the coach of India A and Under-19 teams, it would be difficult for him to travel for longer periods with the senior team. India colts [U19 team] tour regularly for various competitions, so Dravid appears more comfortable attending training sessions in India."
Apart from the workload on Dravid, getting inputs from too many big names may lead to confusion and the CoA has been right in arranging what head coach Shastri wanted for the team.
Shastri also has spoken to Khan, who was reportedly reluctant to get involved in a full-time role, about his contribution to the team, according to the report. It has emerged that the former India pacer is likely to offer his ideas to the Men in Blue during matches at home.
