Former India internationals Gautam Gambhir and WV Raman on Tuesday (June 18) were interviewed by the BCCI’s Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) for the head coach role of the Indian men's cricket team.
Before Tuesday, Gambhir was not just the front-runner to replace Rahul Dravid but also the only Indian contender for the high-profile post.
In fact, some media reports also claimed that BCCI had already signed a deal with Gambhir and the official announcement will be made following the end of India’s T20 World Cup 2024 campaign.
However, Raman emerged as a fresh competitor for Gambhir, who recently mentored Kolkata Knight Riders to the IPL 2024 title.
Raman, who represented India in 11 Tests and 28 ODIs, brings a wealth of coaching experience to the table. His CV as a coach is stronger than Gambhir, who has the experience of mentoring two IPL teams over the last three seasons.
After retiring from the game, WV Raman coached Tamil Nadu and Bengal in the domestic circuit. He also served as an assistant coach in the IPL for the Punjab-based franchise and as a batting coach for KKR.
Moreover, Raman was associated with the Indian women's cricket team as head coach from 2018 to 2021.
Amid the recent development, a report published in News18 CricketNext hinted that given Raman's experience and his impressive performance in the interview, the Indian board might sign both candidates.
“The Indian cricket board must look at utilising the services of both Raman and Gambhir. There are numerous ways in which one can do that – say have Gambhir as head coach and Raman as batting coach or allow Raman to have more say in red ball. Lot of ways one can use them because both can benefit Indian cricket and that’s what one should look at,” a source tracking developments told the website.
The CAC, consisting of former cricketers Ashok Malhotra, Jatin Paranjpe and Sulakshana Naik, will face a big dilemma if they have to pick one between Gambhir and Raman.
The report further stated that no overseas candidate has been interviewed for the head coach role yet, leaving the race down to between the two Indian options.
