Rahul Dravid to Step Down as India Coach After T20 World Cup

India cricket coach Rahul Dravid has announced he will step down from his position when his contract expires after the T20 World Cup. Dravid, a former batter, confirmed he will not reapply for the role following its advertisement by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) last month.

The 51-year-old took over from Ravi Shastri in 2021, leading India to the finals of both the World Test Championship and the 50-over World Cup last year, where they were defeated by Australia in both tournaments.

“Unfortunately, the kind of schedules and where I find myself at this stage in my life, I don’t think I’ll be able to reapply,” Dravid said. “I love doing the job. I’ve really enjoyed coaching India and I think it’s a truly special job to do.”

Under Dravid’s tenure, India also reached the semi-finals of the 2022 T20 World Cup, ultimately losing to eventual champions England. Despite these strong performances, India has not secured a global tournament victory since the 2013 Champions Trophy.

“We can’t say that we’ve not played good cricket in these tournaments,” Dravid remarked. “Yes, we probably haven’t been able to get across the line in that one knockout game [at the 50-over World Cup]. Hopefully, we play good cricket to get ourselves into those positions again. Then maybe play good cricket on the day to get across the line.”

India is set to face Ireland in their T20 World Cup opener in New York on Wednesday, aiming to win the tournament for the first time since its inaugural edition in 2007.