The position of the Indian team’s head coach is up for grabs with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in search of a top candidate to replace current chief Rahul Dravid. With his current term ending after June, Dravid is unwilling to continue as the head coach. Dravid was handpicked as head coach in 2021 by the then BCCI President Sourav Ganguly. His initial term came to an end after the ODI World Cup last year, but the board and the former Indian captain agreed to extend the contract till June 2024.
Former India batter VVS Laxman, who succeeded Dravid as the head of the National Cricket Academy (NCA), is one of the possible options. However, there is no indication that Laxman will apply for the job.
Jay Shah had also revealed that the BCCI is also looking at overseas candidates to replace Dravid, but it will only be considered depending on the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC)’s recommendations.
“If the CAC selects a foreign coach, I can’t interfere. A few interviews for the selector’s post have already happened. We will announce it soon,” Shah had said during a media interaction last week.
Having said that, former Australia captain Ricky Ponting and ex-New Zealand skipper Stephen Fleming have also been approached by the BCCI for the role of the head coach.
However, according to a report in RevSportz, Ponting and Fleming are both reluctant to take the job.
“Two experienced foreign coaches, Chennai Super Kings’ Stephen Fleming and Delhi Capitals’ Ricky Ponting, have been informally sounded out by the BCCI. But the response from their side hasn’t been very positive. Both have been plying their trade in the IPL for a long time. They know Indian cricket inside-out. But the round the year job might prove to be a deterrent,” the report suggested.
For the record, Ponting had also been approached by the BCCI in 2021 after Ravi Shastri‘s tenure came to an end.
Ponting’s former Australia teammate Justin Langer‘s name has also appeared of late.
The deadline for applying for the post is May 27, with Dravid’s replacement will remain in charge until the 2027 World Cup.
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