Rahul Dravid will succeed Ravi Shastri as head coach of the national men's team after the ongoing T20 World Cup in the UAE. Dravid's two-year term will begin with the upcoming home series against New Zealand, starting November 17.

Hours after the BCCI appointed former India star Rahul Dravid as the new head coach of Team India, opener and India vice-captain Rohit Sharma welcomed Dravid's appointment.

Rohit added that Team India players were looking forward to receive guidance from Dravid.

"We were playing the game (against Afghanistan), so I had no idea (about it). Congratulations to him (Rahul Dravid) for coming back in a different capacity in the Indian team, we look forward to working with him," Rohit said at the virtual press conference.

"It is an absolute honour to be appointed as the new head coach of the Indian cricket team, I am really looking forward to this role," Dravid was quoted as saying in a BCCI statement. "Under Mr (Ravi) Shastri, the team has done very well, and I hope to work with the team to take this forward.

"Having worked closely with most of the boys either at NCA [National Cricket Academy], U19 and India A setup, I know they have the passion and desire to improve every day. There are some marquee multi-team events in the next two years, and I look forward to working with the players and the support staff to achieve our potential."

Dravid's appointment - made official by the cricket advisory committee comprising Sulakshana Naik and RP Singh on Wednesday - was always on the cards after he sent in a formal application for the position.

This was after he was convinced to do so by Sourav Ganguly, Dravid's former team-mate who is now the BCCI president, along with the board's top brass following meetings during the IPL playoffs last month.

"Rahul's effort at the NCA has nurtured several young cricketing talents who have gone on to represent the country at the international stage," Ganguly said. "I am hopeful that his new stint will take Indian cricket to new heights. Rahul has had an illustrious playing career and is one of the greats of the game. He has also served Indian cricket as Head of National Cricket Academy (NCA) with distinction."

Dravid is set to take charge as Team India head coach from the upcoming home series against New Zealand, scheduled to begin on November 17.

Dravid has been director of the NCA in Bengaluru following four years as coach of India A and India Under-19.

In July, Dravid stepped in as interim head coach for the limited-overs series in Sri Lanka. The series was held concurrently with the men's Test tour of England, which was helmed by Shastri. Since then, speculation has been rife about Dravid taking over full time after Shastri's tenure ended. Dravid's support staff is set to be announced in due course. Paras Mhambrey, Dravid's colleague at the NCA, is the front-runner to replace Bharat Arun as bowling coach, while Abhay Sharma and Ajay Ratra are among those who have applied for the position of fielding coach.

Tags :Rahul DravidRohit SharmaRavi ShastriSourav Ganguly