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Team India's head coach Rahul Dravid has reportedly recovered from COVID-19 and will be joining the team for the Asia Cup in Dubai soon. As per sources, a top BCCI official confirmed that Dravid’s latest RT-PCR tests have returned negative and is expected to join the team ahead of the much-awaited India vs Pakistan clash.
"Yes, Rahul has recovered and will be joining the team in Dubai at the earliest. The logistics team is working quickly to get things sorted,” a Board official said.
Dravid had mild symptoms and tested positive ahead of India’s scheduled departure to the UAE earlier this week. Replacing Dravid, the BCCI announced VVS Laxman as the interim head coach. The team has been working under Laxman over the last few days.
The BCCI released a statement addressing the issue that said, “VVS Laxman, Head Cricket, NCA will be the interim Head Coach for Team India (Senior Men) for the upcoming ACC Asia Cup 2022, to be played in the UAE," BCCI Secretary Jay Shah stated in a release.
“Laxman, who travelled with the Indian team that played the ODI series in Zimbabwe will oversee the team’s preparation in the absence of Rahul Dravid, who tested positive for COVID-19 before the team’s departure to the UAE. Dravid will join the team once he tests negative and is cleared by the BCCI Medical Team," he added further.
The 2022 Asia Cup was set to be Rahul Dravid’s first major tournament. Even if Dravid reaches Dubai and joins the team, Laxman is expected to stay back for a few more days before flying back to Bengaluru. “For now, VVS will be with the team. Once Dravid checks in, the future course of action will be decided,” a Board insider said.
Talking about the monumental fixture between India and Pakistan, India captain Rohit Sharma believes that their team has undergone a lot of change as they have to take a different approach to preparation for the upcoming tournaments.
"Asia Cup is happening after a long time, but we played Pakistan last year in Dubai, where obviously the result did not go our way. But the Asia Cup is different now. The team is playing differently and has prepared differently, so a lot of things have changed from then”, Rohit Sharma quoted.