Dravid likely to coach India on SL tour

ESPNCRICINFO: Rahul Dravid is likely to tour Sri Lanka in July as the Head Coach of India›s limited-overs squads, ESPNcricinfo has learned. The BCCI is yet to make the formal announcement, but Dravid is expected to tour Sri Lanka in

Rahul Dravid

the absence of Head Coach Ravi Shastri, Bowling Coach Bharat Arun and Batting Coach Vikram Rathour, who will all be with the Test squad in the UK from early June to late September for the WTC final and the five Tests against England.

India are scheduled to tour Sri Lanka for three ODIs and as many T20Is from July 13 to 27 with a second-string squad because 20 of India›s top players and four standbys will be in England at the time. Having coached several India A and Under-19 sides over the last few years, Dravid will already be familiar with numerous India players who are likely to be picked for the Sri Lanka tour.

Dravid is currently the head of the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru, and the 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 India.

According to a proposed itinerary from SLC, India will play the three ODIs on 13, 16 and 19 July, and the T20Is on 22, 24 and 27 July. India›s white-ball squad is expected to arrive in Sri Lanka on 5 July, according to the preliminary itinerary. They will serve a week-long quarantine, beginning with three days of hard quarantine in hotel rooms, followed by four days of training, but with movement strictly restricted between the hotel and the grounds. They will then fly back to India on 28 July.