Rahul Dravid to be late for India's tour to England? Here's the reason why

India's head coach Rahul Dravid is reportedly all set to be with the Indian team for the entirety of the series against  South Africa. While the BCCI had planned for VVS Laxman to take command of the South Africa and Ireland series, Dravid was supposed to go to England with the Test squad on June 16. He will instead depart on June 20.

According to a BCCI source, the former Karnataka batter would remain with the KL Rahul-led team for all five matches. The former Indian player wanted to test out a few combinations, revealed the source.

"Rahul will be available for the entire series. He insisted on being there with the team for the whole series and not leaving before the last match. The South Africa series is an important one. It will help him test a few combinations of players. He will join the squad in England before the warm-up," a senior BCCI official told InsideSport.

"The initial idea was to have Rahul available for England series and VVS take charge of the squad for the two T20 series. But Rahul refused," added the source.

The majority of the senior players, including captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammed Shami, have been rested for the series against South Africa. On the other hand, Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, and Deepak Chahar are all recovering from injuries. This situation demands for Rahul Dravid be available for the young players.

India tour of Ireland

Meanwhile, VVS Laxman, the director of the National Cricket Academy, will coach the Indian team in a two-match T20 series against Ireland in June. The two-match T20 series against Ireland which will be played on June 26 and 28, will overlap with India's tour of England warmup game, which begins on June 24. The one-off Test match against England will begin on the 1st of July.

"Yes, VVS will be with the team in Ireland along with the NCA coaching staff. He will team up with Rahul for the 1st Test in Birmingham," said the source.