Just like many cricket enthusiasts, Sunil Gavaskar knows the importance of having Rahul Dravid as head coach of the Indian cricket team.

In an interview with India Today, the batting legend said, "He will bring his vast experience, the work ethic that he embodied when he played the game, the deep thinking about tactics and so on. You need to have some instinctiveness during matches but you also need to be able to plan and I think this and the win over Afghanistan is probably the best news Indian cricket has had over the last one week or so."

Dravid will take charge from the upcoming home series against New Zealand, starting November 17.

"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 on Wednesday.

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.

His salary will be in the range of Rs 10 crore, which is the highest ever for any coach in the history of Indian cricket.

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.

(With PTI inputs)