India head coach Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma© BCCI/Sportzpics
The chatter around who would be India men’s next head coach has been a constant source of discussion ever since the BCCI said on May 13 that it was inviting applications for Rahul Dravid’s successor at the top job, with a deadline set for May 27. Of late, certain reports have suggested that names of Gautam Gambhir, and Mahela Jayawardene were doing the rounds of being India’s next head coach, who would be appointed for the time period from July 1, 2024 to December 31, 2027. But reliable sources have told IANS that Jayawardene, the former Sri Lanka men’s captain, “hasn’t applied nor has been approached for the top job and is currently happy at the MI set-up”. Jayawardene, who coached Mumbai Indians to three IPL titles, is currently serving as the franchise’s global head of performance, where he’s in charge for the coaching and scouting of MI franchises in various global T20 leagues like the SA20 and ILT20. He’s also worked as a consultant for Sri Lanka men’s team in their recent World Cup campaigns.
There was also the name of former Australia head coach Justin Langer being talked about as a potential candidate. But Langer, speaking after his side Lucknow Super Giants’ campaign came to an end in IPL 2024 on May 17, ruled himself out of being in the reckoning to coach the Indian team.
“It would almost be the biggest job in cricket – being the head coach of the Indian cricket team. One, because of the huge volume of cricket, the huge expectation. It would be a great challenge. It would be great fun and it would be a wonderful opportunity to win ICC titles.”
“But with all these things, the timing has got to be right. I did four or so years with the Australian cricket team. It is all encompassing. It is exhausting. Rahul Dravid will probably tell you the same thing and Ravi Shastri will probably tell you the same thing. The pressure on winning for the Indian team is massive. I’m sure the next person who gets the job will be really looking forward to the project,” he said.
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