Rahul Dravid to remain India's head coach till T20 World Cup: Jay Shah
Rajkot (PTI): Rahul Dravid will continue to remain in the position of India's head coach till the upcoming T20 World Cup in June this year, confirmed BCCI secretary Jay Shah.
Dravid's contract ended after the ODI World Cup final last year, but he was asked to continue in his role along with other support staff for the December-January tour to South Africa without finalising the tenure.
But Shah said he held an initial talk with Dravid here before arriving at the decision to retain the former captain's services till the ICC showpiece to be held in the West Indies and the USA.
"After the (2023) World Cup, Rahul bhai had to leave for the South Africa tour immediately. We did not get to meet in between which finally happened today," Shah said here on the sidelines of the renaming function of the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium on Wednesday night.
"Why are you worried about a contract for such a senior person like Rahul Dravid? Rahul bhai will remain the coach in the T20 World Cup," Shah asserted.
However, Shah indicated that they will hold a few more rounds of discussions ahead of the marquee event.
"I will speak with him whenever there is time, there are back-to-back series happening right now. They were in South Africa, then there was a (T20I) series against Afghanistan (at home) and now England. We did not get to speak in between at all," he added.
Shah said the IPL franchises will have to comply with workload management guidelines set by the BCCI for the centrally contracted players.
"This is the BCCI's mandate. The BCCI is the supreme body and whatever it decides the franchises will have to follow we are above the franchises," he said.
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Looking forward to meet PM Netanyahu, consolidate enduring bonds: PM Modi ahead of Israel visit
New Delhi (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said India and Israel share a robust and multifaceted strategic partnership that has witnessed remarkable growth and dynamism, and he is looking forward to his discussions with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The prime minister is due to leave for Israel on on Wednesday on a two-day visit.
Before embarking, Modi said he was confident that his visit would further consolidate the "enduring bonds" between India and Israel, set new goals for the strategic partnership, and advance the countries' shared vision for a resilient, innovative, and prosperous future.
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Modi said the visit comes at the invitation of his "dear friend Prime Minister Netanyahu."
"I look forward to my discussions with Prime Minister Netanyahu aimed at further strengthening our cooperation across various domains, including science and technology, innovation, agriculture, water management... defence and security, trade and investment, as well as people-to-people ties," he said in his departure statement.
The prime minister said the two leaders will also exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest.
During the visit, Modi will meet with Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
"I will also have the honour of becoming the first Indian Prime Minister to address the Israeli Parliament, Knesset, an occasion that would be a tribute to the strong parliamentary and democratic ties that bind our two nations," he said.
Modi said he is looking forward to interacting with the members of the Indian diaspora who have long been nurturing the India-Israel friendship.
