Despite roping in his own backroom staff, India coach Ravi Shastri opened doors for former captain Rahul Dravid to work as a consultant for his side, whenever the latter finds time from his commitments as a full-time U-19 and India ‘A’ coach.
The three-member Cricket Advisory Committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India had appointed Dravid as the consultant for overseas tours. Pacer Zaheer Khan was also named as by the CAC as a consultant.
Shastri’s first assignment will be India’s tour to Sri Lanka, where they will play three Tests, five One-day Internationals and a Twenty20 International.
The 55-year-old said that he was all for Dravid sharing tips with his team.
“I’m very clear about that. Rahul can bring great advantages and we all know that. If he can decide on how he can divide his time and let the BCCI know when he can be available, I am all for it,” Shastri was quoted as saying by Times of India.
Shastri also revealed that he was mulling over the timing of inviting former players as consultants into the dresssing room.
Yesterday, reports surfaced of Shastri requesting the BCCI to use the services of batting legend Sachin Tendulkar as team consultant during overseas tours “I have myself given this a serious thought. It’s a long way forward – two years – and there’s going to be a lot of planning required in terms of inviting consultants from time to time,” Shastri said.
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