'Told him it was time to join national team': Ganguly recalls chat with Dravid's son ahead of appointment of India coach

BCCI president Sourav Ganguly recalled a funny phone call he received from Rahul Dravid's son before his former India teammate's appointment as the head coach of the Indian cricket team.

BCCI president Sourav Ganguly recalled a funny phone call he received from Rahul Dravid's son before his former India teammate's appointment as the head coach of the Indian cricket team, jokingly admitting that it was the reason behind Dravid's appointment.

Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly. (Getty)

"I got a call from him saying his father was being too strict with him and that he needed to be taken away. That's when I called Rahul (Dravid) and told him that it was time for him to join the national team," Speaking at the 40th Sharjah International Book Fair, Ganguly said.

Ravi Shastri's tenure as India coach ended after their journey at the T20 World Cup came to an end earlier this week. Dravid was named as the new head coach a week before that, for a two-year contract, which will begin with the T20I series against New Zealand at home. The former cricketer previously coached India's A team and U-19 side before serving as the head of the NCA for four years.

"We grew up together, started around the same time, and spent most of the time playing together. So, it was easy for some of us to make him feel welcome and wanted," Ganguly added on a serious note while hailing his former teammate as a 'tremendous ambassador' of the sport.

Paras Mhambrey, with whom Dravid has worked closely at the NCA, is the front-runner to replace Bharat Arun to become India's bowling coach, while Abhay Sharma and former wicketkeeper Ajay Ratra have put their names for the position of fielding coach.

"It is an absolute honour to be appointed as the new Head Coach of the Indian Cricket Team and I am really looking forward to this role. Under Mr. Shastri, the team has done very well, and I hope to work with the team to take this forward," the BCCI had quoted Dravid as saying after his appointment.

"Having worked closely with most of the boys either at NCA, 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."