Former captain Rahul Dravid was on Wednesday appointed as the head coach of the Indian men's cricket team by the BCCI, a development that was expected after the batting great was convinced by the board's top brass.

Dravid, who was working as the head of National Cricket Academy, has been appointed for a period of two years till the 2023 50-over World Cup in India.

The 47-year-old Dravid, one of the greatest to have played for India, was the only choice for BCCI president Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah, who had called him in Dubai and convinced him to apply for the position.

Once Dravid had applied, the BCCI didn't even need to look at any other application.

"The Cricket Advisory Committee comprising Ms Sulakshana Naik and Mr RP Singh on Wednesday unanimously appointed Mr Rahul Dravid as the Head Coach of Team India (Senior Men). The former India captain will take charge from the upcoming home series against New Zealand," the BCCI stated in a media release.

The BCCI had invited applications for the said position on October 26 to appoint incumbent Ravi Shastri's successor, whose term gets over after the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup.

"It is an absolute honour to be appointed as the new head coach of the Indian cricket team and I am really looking forward to this role," Dravid said.

He also thanked his predecessor Shastri for his role in shaping the current Indian team.

"Under Mr Shastri, the team has done very well, and I hope to work with the team to take this forward."

(With PTI inputs)