- Monday, February 24, 2025
The 42-year-old former cricketer’s chances became brighter after he mentored Kolkata Knight Riders to their third Indian Premier League title win in 2024.
By: Shubham Ghosh
IT is one of the most plum jobs in Indian cricket. Each time, there is a search for a new face for the post, it gives birth to speculation. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is currently looking for a head coach to succeed Rahul Dravid and if reports are to be believed, former India opener Gautam Gambhir could be in the lead to get the job, according to IndiaToday.in.
According to reports, the former cricketer’s name was doing the rounds in the Indian cricketing circles, particularly after Indian Premier League franchise Kolkata Knight Riders dominated and won this year’s edition with him as the mentor.
The 42-year-old was seen having a lengthy conversation with Jay Shah, secretary of the BCCI, after the final of the IPL in Chennai last month in which Kolkata hammered Hyderabad to lift their third trophy. While it was not known what the duo were speaking on, the visuals did fuel the speculations.
Read: Kolkata win IPL 2024, blow Hyderabad away in one-sided final
Dravid’s tenure is concluding in June end and the deadline for applying for the head coach’s position was May 27.
It is to be seen whether Gambhir, who was a member of India’s two World Cup-winning squads in 2007 (T20) and 2011 (50 over) under former captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, will be ready to take up the challenge given his recent commitment to the Kolkata franchise.
Read: IPL 2024: Kohli hugs ‘rival’ Gambhir en route 83 against KKR; WATCH
Gambhir, a former parliamentarian from India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party who also does match analysis and commentary, returned to the IPL franchise which he had guided to two crowns, this year and he made an immediate impact as a mentor as Shreyas Iyer’s side went on to lift the crown. While the ownership of the franchise is in favour of Gambhir extending his stay with it, IndiaToday.in cited an informed source to report that the former cricketer is ready to take on the challenge of coaching the national team.
While there was no formal approach in Gambhir’s likely elevation as India’s national coach, it remains to be seen whether the BCCI conducts interviews for the position through the Cricket Advisory Committee which comprises two former India male players and one female player.
Before his stint with Kolkata Knight Riders, Gambhir was associated with Lucknow Super Giants, a comparatively new franchise in the IPL, as the mentor. He served for them for two years — 2022 and 2023 — and on both occasions, they made the playoffs. He then returned to his former franchise, which is co-owned by Indian actor Shah Rukh Khan, and his role in offering clarity of roles and helping the franchise in striving towards a common goal and succeeding was acknowledged by all members of the squad and support staff, and even the ace actor.
The BCCI had also approached former New Zealand captain and the head coach of Chennai Super Kings, Stephen Fleming, and former head coach of Hyderabad, Tom Moody, for the top job after Shah said the board was not averse to roping in foreign coaches.
The BCCI secretary also confirmed that the board did not approach any former Australian cricketers for the role, days after former cricketers Ricky Ponting and Justin Langer said they were not interested in taking up the role.
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly backed Gambhir as the national coach saying his ‘hunger and passion’ was evident in the recently concluded IPL.
