BCCI chief Sourav Ganguly had revealed that his former teammate and Test specialist VVS Laxman was eager to be India's head coach when Ravi Shastri's tenure was set to end in late 2021. However, the position went to Laxman's good friend Rahul Dravid.
Nonetheless, Laxman -- who is now serving as the National Cricket Academy (NCA) -- is set to take charge of India's T20I squad for the upcoming two-match series versus hosts Ireland. The former middle-order batter will fill in for Dravid, who will be with the Indian Test line-up ahead of their fifth and final match versus England in the United Kingdom, set to be held on July 01.
"He will travel with the Indian team to Dublin" said Jay Shah, the BCCI Secretary, confirming that Laxman will take chargein the absence ofDravid.
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The arrangement is similar to the one Team India had last year. During India's tour of the United Kingdom, afterthe WTC final and prior to thefive Tests versus then Joe Root-led England, regular coach Shastri was with Virat Kohli-starrer red-ball team whereas Dravid had stepped in as the stand-in coach of the white-ball side who had travelled to Sri Lanka for three ODIs and T20Is each.
This will be Laxman's first-ever assignment in a coaching role for the senior men's team. Earlier this year, he was a part of the backroom staff of the India U-19 team that lifted the trophy in the Caribbean island, beating England in the final.
The squad for the Ireland T20Is is yet to be announced by the Chetan Sharma-led selection committee.