Ganguly jokes on why he called Dravid to become India's head coach: 'He was being too strict with his son'
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BCCI president Sourav Ganguly jokingly revealed why he had called Rahul Dravid and asked him to join the Indian team as the head coach after Ravi Shastri.
Rahul Dravid has been appointed as the new head coach of the Indian cricket team after the departure of Ravi Shastri. Shastri's tenure as the head coach of the team came to an end after India's exit from T20 World Cup 2021 and Dravid will take charge from the upcoming home series against New Zealand.
BCCI president Sourav Ganguly, who had previously revealed Dravid had to be convinced to take over as the head coach of the national team, joked about how he influenced his former teammate to get on board. Dravid was working as the head of the National Cricket Academy (NCA) before taking over as the head coach of the Indian team.
Speaking at the 40th Sharjah International Book Fair, Ganguly spoke about Dravid's appointment as the Indian team's head coach and jokingly said he had got a call from his former India teammate's son, who complained that his father was being too strict with him and needs to be taken away.
"I got a call from him saying his father was being too strict with him and that he needed to be taken away. That's when I called Rahul (Dravid) and told him that it was time for him to join the national team," joked Ganguly.
Ganguly said it was easy for him to convince Dravid and get him on board as he had spent a lot of time with the former India batter in the dressing room during his playing days. Dravid and Ganguly made their India debuts around the same time and went on to become legends of Indian cricket with their brilliant performances across formats.
"We grew up together, started around the same time, and spent most of the time playing together. So it was easy for some of us to make him feel welcome and wanted," said Ganguly on a more serious note.
Dravid is currently in Jaipur with the rest of the Indian support staff ahead of his first major assignment as the head coach of the team. India will play the first T20I of the three-match series against New Zealand in Jaipur on November 17. India are scheduled to play two Tests against the Black Caps after the T20Is.
Dravid is reportedly set to be replaced by former India batter VVS Laxman, who will take over as the new head of the National Cricket Academy.