Former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir has been approached by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to replace Rahul Dravid as India’s head coach after the T20 World Cup 2024, reported ESPN Cricinfo on Friday.
Gambhir is currently serving as the mentor of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 and his side became the first to make way to the IPL playoffs earlier this month.
Dravid, who has been serving as India’s head coach since the conclusion of the T20 World Cup 2021, has communicated his decision not to continue with the Blues for another tenure and will bid farewell to the team once the World Cup ends.
While Gambhir has been serving as a mentor for two to three years, he has no experience of coaching at international or domestic level.
As a player, Gambhir etched his name in the history books as he was part of India’s T20 World Cup winning team in 2007. Meanwhile, in the 2011 World Cup, he scored 97 runs in the final against Sri Lanka which was instrumental in steering India to win.
Earlier, The BCCI issued invitations for applications for the successor to Rahul Dravid in the role of head coach of the India men's senior national team.
The BCCI stated that applications must be submitted by 6 pm IST on May 27, 2024.
This deadline falls on the day after the IPL 2024 final with the new coach to be appointed for a term of three and a half years, commencing from July 1, 2024, until December 31, 2027.
The remaining members of the backroom staff will be selected in consultation with the new head coach. Jay Shah, the BCCI secretary, recently stated that India is unlikely to divide the coaching role based on formats.
It must be noted Dravid assumed the role after the T20 World Cup 2021. In his tenure, India ended up as runners-up in the finals of the World Test Championship as well ODI World Cup at home last year.
- Gautam Gambhir