Rahul Dravid refuses BCCI's Rs 2.5 Cr bonus, opts for equal pay with support staff

New Delhi: Former India head coach Rahul Dravid has refused to take the bonus amount of Rs 2.5 crore offered to him by the BCCI following the recent T20 World Cup triumph in the Americas.

Dravid was offered the bonus amount following the national team's success but he was happy to settle for the due amount – Rs 2.5 crore – similar to other coaching staff.

The BCCI wanted to repay Dravid for guiding India to the trophy in Barbados by hiking his reward to Rs 5 crore, which is at par with the players, PTI has learnt that the 51-year-old was happy with an equal pay check as other coaching staff.

It was more of a goodwill gesture than any official call as Dravid's tenure as India coach had originally ended after last year's 50-over World Cup at home.

However, skipper Rohit Sharma and the governing body were successful in convincing Dravid to stay till the T20 World Cup as they then had felt that time was too short for a new coach to take up the high-pressure job.

Dravid went on to end his India coaching stint as a World Cup winner, and talks have been swirling around him joining an IPL franchise as mentor.

But at this point, the Bengaluru man seems to be keen to take a step back and relax after a hectic over two years tenure as the India head coach, before taking the next career move.

Meanwhile, the BCCI on Tuesday appointed former India opener Gautam Gambhir as Dravid's successor for the next three years.

Under Gambhir's coaching, the Kolkata Knight Riders won their third IPL trophy earlier this year.