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Former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir is likely to be the white-ball coach of the Indian team for the next 3.5 years, starting from July 1, 2024, to December 31, 2027.
Sources close to the development also confirmed that Gambhir would be the head coach in white-ball cricket, and deliberations are on whether he could become a all format coach or not. He already had two to three meetings with the top board officials, discussing the road map of Indian cricket.
“Officially, it can’t be announced at this stage when the process to get the new coach has just begun. But yes, he is the front-runner,” a source told CricBlogger.
Although the Indian board advertised for the post of head coach on May 13 and kept a deadline of May 27 for submission of applications, Gambhir is applying for the job on the condition that there won’t be anyone else in the race. In other words, Gambhir doesn’t want a repeat of Virender Sehwag’s story.
If one remembers, Sehwag was told to apply by the BCCI, which he did in 2017, only to find himself in an embarrassing position. Ravi Shastri was named the coach at the behest of then-Indian captain Virat Kohli.
Earlier. BCCI approached former New Zealand coach Stephen Fleming, who would never be interested. Former coach Shastri’s name also came up for discussion, but he is over-age. The age cap of below 60 years makes Shastri (61) ineligible.
VVS Laxman is another name that came up for discussion. The board could be ready for another extended version of Rahul Dravid. So, Laxman isn’t out of the race and could become the Test coach as well while Gambhir could become the white/ball coach.
It is just a matter of time when the BCCI would zero down on Gambhir right after the Lok Sabha election results are out.
Sources said that Gambhir may also ask for an assistant coach under him and already has a transition plan.
The Indian board is also keen to hire a coach with a vision to implement the transition in Indian cricket. With Gambhir having the distinction of bailing India out in two major ICC events – the T20 World Cup in 2007 and the 2011 World Cup at home – in final matches, the board is certain that the championship DNA is there in him to rub it on the current Indian players.
Indications are strong that when Gambhir takes over as head coach of India in white-ball cricket, it will mark the beginning of the end of the Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma era and some of the young stars like Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill could be empowered to take Indian cricket ahead.
What is also working well for BCCI giving Gambhir the role of coach is that the Delhi cricketer is still searching for that recognition, which he probably deserved more as a player in those two World Cup finals by playing those match-winning knocks. By becoming the coach, Gambhir can complete his unfinished business. Who knows!
