IND vs NZ LIVE – Ricky Ponting: Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting said he was surprised to see Rahul Dravid taking up the job. The reason, BCCI’s primary target was Ricky Ponting. and he was pursued has made a shocking revelation that he was in talks for becoming the next coach for Men in Blue. The two-time World Cup-winning captain said that he didn’t take the role as he had to quit all coaching responsibilities and commentary stints.
“Actually, I’m surprised that Dravid has taken it up as well. There was a lot of chat about how happy he was in the Under-19 role he had. I’m not sure about his family life but I’m sure he has got young kids. So I’m surprised that he took it but as I said, the people I spoke to were sure they got the right person so they were probably able to get Dravid to do it,” Ricky Ponting said on the Grade Cricketers Podcast.
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IND vs NZ LIVE: DC coach Ricky Ponting surprised with Rahul Dravid taking charge of Team India, says ‘Some people wanted him to become coach’
Rahul Dravid, as reported by InsideSport, was initially not keen to take on the role and stay away from his family in Bengaluru. However, BCCI president and his long-time friend Sourav Ganguly and Secretary Jay Shah managed to convince him after meeting him in the UAE.
Furthermore. Rahul Dravid was more interested in coaching the U-19 and India A sides at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. But after taking charge, India got off to a winning start, beating New Zealand by 5 wickets in the 1st T20 in Jaipur.
IND vs NZ LIVE: DC coach Ricky Ponting surprised with Rahul Dravid taking charge of Team India, says ‘Some people wanted him to become coach’
IND vs NZ LIVE: DC coach Ricky Ponting surprised with Rahul Dravid taking charge of Team India, says ‘Some people wanted him to become coach’
As for the former Australian skipper, he revealed that he had to turn down the offer after speaking to close aides in IPL. With too many conflicts of interest petitions, he would not have been able to play the commentator’s role for Channel 7.
“I had a couple of conversations with some people during the IPL about it (the head coach position). The people I spoke to were pretty hell-bent to find a way to make it work. The first thing I said was that I can’t give that much time, that means I can’t coach in the IPL,” Ponting said.
“I would have to give up the 7 stuff (Channel 7) in summer. It just can’t work. But it’s nice to have people think that you can do these big jobs. But there’s a lot more than comes with it other than just yes or no.”
IND vs NZ LIVE: DC coach Ricky Ponting surprised with Rahul Dravid taking charge of Team India, says ‘Some people wanted him to become coach’