Rahul Dravid, the current National Cricket Academy head, is likely be the head coach of the limited-overs Indian side set to tour Sri Lanka while the Test team is in England, according to media reports.
The former India A and Under-19 coach is set to fill in for Ravi Shastri, who will be in England with the team for the World Test Championship final against New Zealand and the five-Test series from June to September.
Other NCA staff members are likely to be split into two parties of which one will tour Sri Lanka with Dravid and the other will travel to England with the women’s cricket team next month, according to ESPNCricinfo.
Paras Mhambrey, who has also coached the men’s A sides and Under-19 teams, is likely to be the bowling coach, the report added.
Dravid is likely to be familiar with some of the India players as India A and Under-19 players who are likely to be part of the second-string squad for the Sri Lanka tour, having been a World Cup-winning coach with them.
Sourav Ganguly had confirmed earlier this month that the Indian men’s team, sans the top players, will tour Sri Lanka in July for a limited overs bilateral series.
Asked how will India segregate the two teams, Ganguly said that it will be a different side, which won’t have anyone from the outfit that will be in the United Kingdom at that time.
“Yes, it will be a team of white ball specialists. It will be a different team,” the former India captain said, making it clear that the cricket board also has the preparation of white ball regulars in mind.
There will be at least 5 T20 Internationals and may be three ODIs in Sri Lanka.
India’s tour of England will end on September 14 and with the schedule of the remainder of IPL yet to be chalked out, the BCCI would want the likes of Shikhar Dhawan, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Yuzvendra Chahal to be match ready.