Amid reports of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) approaching Australia greats like Ricky Ponting and Justin Langer, them rejecting the offer to stay with the Indian side till the 2027 ODI World Cup and board secretary Jay Shah denying such offers being made, Gautam Gambhir has stood tall as the only frontrunner to bag the high-profile job of being the next head coach of the Indian men’s team. Incumbent holder of the position, Rahul Dravid’s tenure will end after the 2024 T20 World Cup. The India legend does not wish to reapply for the role, leaving BCCI in a rather difficult position with no official confirmation at all of who has applied for the high-profile job. May 27 stands as the deadline day for the submission of names for the India head coach role.
Amid a lack of alternatives for the head coach role, Gambhir is most likely to secure the position. Moreover, he remains the only probable Indian candidate whose name is doing rounds. Not to forget, Shah recently hinted that the board would rather have an Indian name as the head coach rather than a foreign option, explaining that “It’s crucial that our coach has an in-depth knowledge of our domestic cricket framework to truly elevate Team India to the next level.”
Besides, Gambhir also holds a stellar record as a team mentor in IPL history. In 2022, he was handed the role at Lucknow Super Giants, who made the playoffs and finished third in the league stage in back-to-back seasons. Ahead of the start of the 2024 season, Gambhir was roped in by Kolkata Knight Rider for the same position and the two-time champions finished top of the table in the league stage and became the first finalist in the tournament.
According to a report in Dainik Jagran on Saturday, Gambhir was contacted by the BCCI regarding applying for the head coach role and the 2011 ODI World Cup winner has shown a keen interest. On Sunday, he is most likely to meet some BCCI top heads in Chennai on the sidelines of the IPL 2024 final between KKR and Sunrisers Hyderabad. While the report confirmed that Gambhir has not yet submitted his application for the role, once he does, he will be officially announced as Dravid’s successor.
However, Gambhir finds himself in a bit of a precarious position pertaining to applying for the position, given that he also needs to have a word with KKR co-owner Shah Rukh Khan, who play a key role in bringing the former India opener back to Kolkata. The report further mentioned that the Bollywood superstar told Gambhir to manage the team for 10 years, while handing him a blank cheque saying that he is willing to pay whatever amount he demands.
CrickIt could not independently verify the story and it will be updated as per further developments. We tried to reach out to Gambhir, but are yet to get a response