Rahul Dravid's first assignment after India head coach role is all but confirmed with The Wall set to return to the Indian Premier League. Dravid, whose tenure as coach of the Indian cricket team ended on the highest of highs – a World Cup win – is likely to link up with a team which paved the way for his coaching career. A report carried out by the Times of India claims that Dravid's association with Rajasthan Royals as their head coach is a done deal and that the official announcement is coming up shortly.

"Talks are going on between RR and Dravid, an announcement in his regard is round the corner," TOI quoted a source as saying. HT could not individually verify the development.

Dravid has thus far remained mum about what the future has in store for him. Even in his last addressal as coach moments after India won the T20 World Cup, Dravid jokingly said that he is now 'unemployed' and that any offers are welcome. But as it turns out, Dravid may already have chalked a path for his next adventure – returning to a franchise he helped build. Dravid joined the Royals in 2011 as captain and played for three seasons before retiring. In 2014, he took over as mentor of the franchise and produced one of the most unforgettable moments in the history of IPL when he slammed his cap on the ground after RR lost a high-scoring thriller against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium.

One of Dravid's biggest concerns continuing as India coach was the amount of time, travelling and commitment it required. At 50, Dravid intends on spending more time with his family having been away from it for the longest part of his life. Additionally, with his sons Samit and Anvay finding their feet in professional cricket, Dravid' priorities are clear. An IPL commitment would require Dravid to be on the road for not more than two months max, a deal that works out just fine for him. Having said that, Dravid's appointment could mark the end of the road for Kumar Sangakkara, who has been with the Royals since 2021.

What happened to Dravid's reported move to KKR?

In between, a report in News18 Bangla had claimed that Dravid could be on his way to Kolkata Knight Riders – a direct swap given how the BCCI appointed former KKR mentor Gautam Gambhir as the new head coach of the Indian team. But while that report lacked any concrete information, Dravid's move to RR makes more sense as he has a history with them. It was at RR where Dravid mentored for two years and then went on to do the same with the Indian team during its tour of England in 2014.

From there, Dravid went on to try his luck as a broadcaster and did a bloody good job at that. Who can forget his banter with Sourav Ganguly while they were doing commentary together? However, being an ever-lasting servant of the game, Dravid decided to give back to the game, becoming the coach of the India A and Under 19 teams. He delivered results almost instantaneously, leading the Under-19 team to the final of the 2016 Under 19 World Cup. Two years later in 2018, India's Under-19 World Cup team were crowned champions, defeating Australia in the final. It was a squad that featured young Shubman Gill and Prithvi Shaw.

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