Gautam Gambhir, PC- Twitter
Gautam Gambhir, PC- Twitter

Gautam Gambhir is reportedly the first choice for the BCCI to take over as Indian Team head coach from Rahul Dravid.

Times of India reported that the board has left its options open even though the application deadline is less than a week away. After Anil Kumble replaced Ravi Shastri as head coach for a year in 2016, the board never had to pick between candidates.

Shastri was a unanimous choice from 2017 and 2021, with then-captain Kohli’s support. Dravid was promoted from NCA chairman in 2021 after BCCI authorities persuaded him following a lengthy discussion during the 2021 T20 World Cup in Dubai.

In the current situation, BCCI appears to be unsure about its alternatives. One can hope for some concrete discussions and progress by the end of this week.

BCCI to speak with Gautam Gambhir on sidelines of IPL 2024 final in Ahmedabad: Reports

According to insiders, Gautam Gambhir (KKR coach), Stephen Fleming (Chennai Super Kings coach), Justin Langer (Lucknow Super Giants coach), and Mahela Jayawardene (Global Performance Head of Mumbai Indians) have piqued the BCCI’s interest.

Apart from this, the board has sent a feeler to Ashish Nehra as well, given his brilliant man management reputation with Gujarat Titans, who won the IPL 2022 and reached the final of IPL 2023 under his guidance. But the former India pacer isn’t sure about doing a full-time job across formats.

A major issue is the promise to travel with the team for ten months each year until the next ODI World Cup in 2027. All of the names mentioned above have prosperous careers with IPL franchises.

VVS Laxman, the current NCA head, is the only one who has not committed to an IPL role. However, it is understood that Laxman has expressed reluctance to take the role.

“There has been no formal communication with the potential candidates. All these coaches are biding their time and weighing options. But it seems Gambhir’s stocks have risen. It is likely that the board officials will speak with Gambhir in Ahmedabad where he is with KKR for the IPL playoffs,” a BCCI source said on Tuesday.

It is learnt that Gambhir and senior players in the Indian team have been getting along quite well of late.

“If people are talking about Gambhir’s friction with Virat Kohli, it can be confirmed that the two have always got along well off the field. Even after the bust-up during an IPL match last year, the two were made to sit down and sort out any issue if they indeed had one,” the source added.

The deadline to apply for the India head coach role is May 27.

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