Former India captain will take over from the New Zealand series starting November 17

“It is an absolute honour to be appointed as the new head coach of the Indian cricket team, I am really looking forward to this role,” Dravid was quoted as saying by the BCCU. “Under Mr (Ravi) Shastri, the team has done very well, and I hope to work with the team to take this forward.

“Having worked closely with most of the boys either at NCA, U19 and India A setup, I know they have the passion and desire to improve every day. There are some marquee multi-team events in the next two years, and I look forward to working with the players and the support staff to achieve our potential.”

Dravid’s appointment was set to be a mere formality after he sent in a formal application for the position after being convinced by his former India teammate and BCCI president Sourav Ganguly along with the board’s top brass following meetings during the sidelines of the IPL finals in Dubai last month.

More to follow…