As reported by RevSportz earlier, the BCCI has approached Gautam Gambhir for the job of the Indian team’s head coach to succeed Rahul Dravid. On May 16, this website reported that Gambhir, the Kolkata Knight Riders mentor, is on the cricket board’s radar to take charge of the Indian team from July. The BCCI has also informally sounded out Stephen Fleming and Ricky Ponting.
It is learnt that the BCCI has made the initial contact with Gambhir and further discussions are expected after the IPL. Earlier this year, the former opener freed himself from political duties to concentrate fully on cricket.
Gambhir doesn’t have any coaching experience at international or domestic level. But he has the experience of being a part of the backroom staff in the IPL. He was the mentor of Lucknow Super Giants for two years and oversaw his team’s IPL playoffs qualifications in back-to-back seasons. This year, KKR brought him back to the fold and the team has finished first in the group league to qualify for the playoffs.
Gambhir comfortably meets the requirements of playing at least 30 Tests or 50 ODIs. In an illustrious international career that spanned for more than a decade, the southpaw played 58 Tests, 147 ODIs and 37 T20Is. He was also part of two World Cup-winning teams — the 2007 T20 World Cup and the 2011 50-over World Cup.
As KKR captain, Gambhir won two IPL titles. His aggressive captaincy gave the team a different identity. And KKR’s bold march in the IPL this term has a clear Gambhir imprint. The new Indian team head coach will have two tough assignments to start with — a five-match Test series in Australia in the winter followed by the Champions Trophy in Pakistan next year.
RevSportz understands that the BCCI is looking for someone who can meet fire with fire, besides being good at man management. Gambhir ticks both boxes. But coaching the Indian team is a round the year job and it needs to be seen Gambhir, who has a young family, applies for the post.
The BCCI has invited applications for the position of the head coach, with the deadline being May 27. Dravid’s term ends in June, after the T20 World Cup. The new coach’s term will be from July 1, 2024 to December 31, 2027.