In a conversation with the International Cricket Council (ICC), Ponting revealed, “There were a few little one-on-one conversations during the IPL, just to get a level of interest from me as to whether I would do it.” However, he expressed that his current commitments and lifestyle preferences deterred him from considering the offer seriously.
“I’d love to be a senior coach of a national team, but with the other things that I have in my life and wanting to have a bit of time at home…everyone knows if you take a job working with the Indian team, you can’t be involved in an IPL team, so it would take that out of it as well,” Ponting explained.
The role of a national head coach requires significant time commitment, with Ponting mentioning, “Also, a national head coach is a 10 or 11-month of the year job, and as much as I’d like to do it, it just doesn’t fit into my lifestyle right now and the things that I really enjoy doing.”
Ponting, who has been coaching the Delhi Capitals IPL team since 2018, discussed the offer with his family, including his son, who showed enthusiasm about the prospect of moving to India. However, Ponting concluded that despite the appeal of Indian cricket culture, the position did not align with his current lifestyle priorities.
The India head coach position will be vacant after Rahul Dravid’s tenure ends following India’s T20 World Cup campaign next month. Other high-profile names such as Stephen Fleming, head coach of Chennai Super Kings, Justin Langer, head coach of Lucknow Super Giants, and Gautam Gambhir, mentor of Kolkata Knight Riders, have been mentioned as potential candidates for the role. However, Ponting expressed it is unlikely for him to be in the running due to his lifestyle constraints.The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has set May 27 as the deadline for submitting applications for the position.(With inputs from PTI)