Indian Head Coach Rahul Dravid in Favour of Legalising Cricket Betting

Ravi Shastri, India’s former coach steps down from his position after what can only be deemed as a disastrous T20 World Cup. The Indian squad were favourites to win the tournament but on this occasion were unable to even get out of the playoff stage. The tournament had begun on a sour note with a 10-wicket defeat at the hands of arch-rivals Pakistan followed by a thrashing by the Kiwis. While India was able to comfortably win the remainder of their group matches, the two defeats at the start of the tournament were enough to send the men in blue home.

It must be noted that India had a remarkable run under the Shastri era who in turn had replaced Anil Kumble in 2017. Under his guidance, India became the first Asian team to beat Australia in their own backyard in a test series (2018-2019).

They also qualified for the finals of the inaugural World Test Championship eventually losing the top spot to New Zealand. At present, they are also leading 2-1 in a five-match test series against England. There is still one more game to be played which had been postponed due to a COVID scare in the Indian camp. Shastri will now make way for former Indian batting great, Rahul Dravid.

Dravid’s two-year term will officially begin when the Kiwis visit India on November 17th. Dravid had the following to say about his appointment as head coach “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.

Dravid has also been vocal about the case for legalising sports betting in India. In a special ethics and integrity session organised by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Dravid said he would vote in favour of legalisation should the law enforcement agencies feel it is safe to do so. CBI chief Ranjit Sinha supported his view as he believed that sports betting should be legalised if lotteries and casinos were also deemed legal by different states in India.