Rahul Dravid to be India’s coach on Sri Lanka tour: Reports

Former India captain and the current head of the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, Rahul Dravid will be the coach of the Indian team on the tour of Sri Lanka.

India are planning to send a team of white ball specialists to Sri Lanka for six limited-overs games.

Although the series will not clash with the five-Test series in England, the quarantine rules have forced the board to send a separate team to Sri Lanka.

Since the main squad will be in England during the series, the coaching staff too are not going to be available for the Sri Lanka tour.

"The Team India coaching staff will be in the UK and it is best that the young team is guided by Dravid as he has already worked with almost all of the India 'A' boys. The comfort the youngsters share with him will be an added advantage," a BCCI official was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

Before taking up the role at the NCA, Dravid has closely worked with the U-19 crop of the Indian cricketers and was also involved with the senior team as a batting consultant on the tour of England in 2014.

The Indian team will have to quarantine itself in Sri Lanka upon reaching the island nation. The tour kicks off with the ODI series with matches on July 13, 16, and 19. The T20Is are likely to be played between July 22-27.