The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) invited fresh applications for the post of head coach for the senior Indian men's team last week.
Rahul Dravid is currently serving as the chief coach and his term expires after the conclusion of the T20 World Cup in the West Indies and USA next month.
With multiple reports suggesting that Dravid is unlikely to re-apply, it seems likely that the Indian team will have a new coach at the helm post the T20 World Cup 2024.
The BCCI, in its statement, mentioned that the tenure of the next coach will be over 3.5 years - July 1, 2024 to December 31, 2027. The deadline to submit an application is on May 27.
Meanwhile, certain reports have suggested that names of Gautam Gambhir and Mahela Jayawardene were doing the rounds of being India's next head coach. But reliable sources have told IANS that former Sri Lanka skipper Jayawardene “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. He's also worked as a consultant for Sri Lanka men's team on multiple occasions.
Recently, a report also claimed that former Australia coach Justin Langer could very well be one of the many contenders for the high-profile post.
However, Langer counted himself out when asked about the possibility of joining the Indian team as head coach after the T20 World Cup 2024.
“It would almost be the biggest job in cricket being the head coach of the Indian cricket team because of the huge volume of cricket, the huge expectation. It would be a great challenge, it would be great fun. It would be a wonderful opportunity to win ICC titles, but with all these things, the timing has gotta be right,” Langer said after LSG’s campaign came to an end in IPL 2024 on May 17.
“I did four or so years with the Australian cricket team. It’s all-encompassing. It is exhausting and I think someone else like Rahul Dravid will probably tell you the same thing, Ravi Shastri will tell you the same thing. The pressure on winning for the Indian team is massive. So. I’m sure the next person who gets the job will be really looking forward to the project,” he added.
(With IANS Inputs)
