Gautam Gambhir Front-Runner for India Head Coach Role
The contract of Rahul Dravid as a Head Coach will conclude after the T20 World Cup. In this regard, BCCI is looking to appoint a new India Head coach and the name of Gautam Gambhir as a New Head Coach is creating buzz in the cricket world, however, the reports state that BCCI will take time to release the list of applicants for Team India’s head coach role. BCCI is taking time in order to look for a suitable candidate for this role. Most people want Rahul Dravid to extend his tenure but reports stated that he has no intention to do so. His disapproval of not extending his contract has made the BCCI to look for a suitable candidate.
Several names have appeared on the front so far but the majority of reports are pointing to Gautam Gambhir for this role. However, the BCCI is not taking media reports seriously nor is responding on social media regarding the same. They might play the waiting game even after the T20 World Cup ends, as the immediate assignment is a series against Zimbabwe, where all the senior players will anyway be rested. The report of HT states that the team can be coached by the NCA staff led by VVS Laxman.
A BCCI source told a media outlet “The deadline is fine, but the BCCI brass wouldn’t mind taking some more time before reaching a decision. Right now, the team will be busy with World T20 for the better part of the month of June. After that, seniors will be rested from tours of Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, where any of the nCA-based senior coaches can accompany the team. So what’s the hurry”. The report of the trusted media outlet further included that Laxman was the first choice of BCCI to take the responsibility of head coach, but the former India batter was unwilling to get associated with the senior team.
Besides it, several names like CSK head coach Stephen Fleming, DC head coach Ricky Ponting, MI director of cricket Mahela Jayawardene, and LSG head coach Justin Langer surfaced, but none of them has allegedly applied for the role. The report further added, “It is understood that no notable foreign name has applied for the post, especially after BCCI secretary Jay Shah made it clear that the Board is looking at someone who has risen through the ranks and knows the domestic structure.
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As of now, Gautam Gambhir is acting as the frontrunner for this role after the winning of Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2024 under his guidance. However, it is tough to say whether Gautam Gambhir has officially applied for this position or not. The report states that “While both interested parties haven’t said anything on record, the BCCI, it seems, doesn’t have too many quality options available at the moment.”
It is worth noting that Shah Rukh Khan, the principal owner of KKR shares a deep bond with Gambhir and he surely doesn’t want him to lose. Plus, it is not easy for Gambhir to leave an IPL team as it has been a part of his identity. However, another report states that a high-level IPL franchise owner who has a close connection with the top brass of the BCCI has asserted that the appointment of Gautam Gambhir as the India head coach is almost confirmed. Well, we need to wait for the official announcement regarding the same. As soon as we get to know who is appointed as the new India head coach, we will surely share.