Rahul Dravid addresses India's fatigue issue with CAC, to work on rotation policy with Jay Shah: Report

Rahul Dravid is set to take over officially as Team India's full-time coach from the New Zealand home series, starting from November 17. Dravid will succeed Ravi Shastri, who played the role of India's head coach from mid-2017 to late 2021.

While India did very well under Shastri, across formats, his tenure ended without India winning an ICC title. After the T20 World Cup 2021 debacle, a lot has been said and written with regard to Team India's hectic cricketing schedule in a calendar year and the fatigue issue surrounding the players. Hence, the newly-appointed coach Dravid has taken up the fatigue issue with the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), as per a report in the Indian Express, and is also set toplay a key role in thesubject of players' rotation, depending upon their workload, in coordination with BCCI secretary Jay Shah.

So far, the matter of players' rotation, rest, and workload management has been in the hands of the selectors. However, it seems the picture is set to change after a number of players complained of bio-bubble fatigue. Hence, the new head coach Dravid is set to spearhead the whole process of the players being given adequate rest before the national selectors announce the squad for any future series or big-ticket tournaments.

“The BCCI will decide on which player needs to be rested depending on how much cricket is being played. We are aware of the fatigue issue. The player who has been rested will get his place back in the team even if the replacement does well,” a BCCI official was quoted as saying by IE.

On Tuesday evening (November 9), the BCCI announced a 15-man squad for India's T20I series versus New Zealand. The Rohit Sharma-led squad didn't comprise the likes of Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja, Rishabh Pant, etc. As all the key players have been part of bio-bubbles and have been playing cricket continuously, the break is much needed for them.

Given how India's T20 WC campaign fared, it seems BCCI is now keen to monitor players' workload in the next coming months, with the next ICC event scheduled to take place later in 2022.