Gautam Gambhir was reportedly approached by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) about becoming the Indian team’s head coach, and the former opening batter agreed when the board met some of his requests.
Another rumor claims that Gambhir is the sole contender who has applied for the head coach position.
Since the BCCI invited candidates for one of cricket’s most coveted positions, Gambhir has emerged as the most viable alternative. The 42-year-old, who has won two IPL titles with KKR, is expected to be officially announced as Rahul Dravid’s successor before the end of this month (June).
Whether or not India wins the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup, Rahul Dravid and his staff will leave after a 2.5-year stint. Dravid succeeded Ravi Shastri, and if the rumors were accurate, Gambhir would soon be wearing the Indian national jersey.
Gautam Gambhir to be interviewed by CAC
According to the Indian Express, Gambhir will appear for an interview with the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) via a Zoom call on Tuesday. This comes after the BCCI requested applications for the role in mid-May, with a deadline of May 27.
Gambhir is currently the mentor of KKR, which won the IPL 2024 title by defeating SRH in the final on May 26, a day before the deadline to apply for the head coach position.
The new coach’s tenure, which is most likely to be Gambir, starts in July 2024 and stretches to December 31, 2027 – the year of the next ODI World Cup.
CAC to conduct interviews for BCCI selector spot from North Zone
The same report also suggested that the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) comprising Ashok Malhotra, Jatin Paranjpe, and Sulakshana Naik, will also take interviews for the vacant selector’s spot from North Zone.
The current chief selection committee chief, Ajit Agarkar, and Salil Ankola are both from the West Zone, with a new selector from the North Zone expected to replace the latter. Ankola was already on the selection committee when the BCCI named Agarkar as chief, succeeding Chetan Sharma, who was embroiled in a sting operation controversy.
After conducting the interviews, the CAC will offer recommendations to the BCCI on the head coach and new selector positions.
“We are conducting an interview session for candidates for the post of head coach and selector. The CAC will submit its recommendation to the BCCI and the board will make an official announcement thereafter,” the Indian Express quoted a BCCI official as saying.