DUBAI: India’s temporary coach for the Asia Cup will be V.V.S. Laxman after head coach Rahul Dravid tested positive for Covid-19, the country’s cricket governing body (BCCI) announced on Wednesday.
The second-string team that defeated Zimbabwe in a three-match One-day International series this month was led by Laxman, who is also the head of cricket at the National Cricket Academy.
Prior to the team’s flight to the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday, Dravid tested positive.He will join the group after his subsequent tests are negative and the BCCI medical staff has given him the all-clear.
Rahul Dravid was absent owing to a positive Covid-19 test, therefore Laxman would be in control of the team’s preparation. Laxman has arrived with the group in Dubai, joining vice-captain KL Rahul, Deepak Hooda, and Avesh Khan who had already travelled from Harare.
After a negative test and clearance from the BCCI Medical Team, Dravid will join the team in the UAE. The team, led by Rohit Sharma, came together in the UAE on Tuesday to prepare for the six-nation competition and T20 World Cup in October.
In the six-team Twenty20 tournament, India will open their defence of the Asia Cup with a titanic matchup against archrival Pakistan on Sunday. On Saturday, the tournament gets underway when Sri Lanka plays Afghanistan.
