The head coach position of Team India is soon to be vacant as Rahul Dravid’s contract will come to an end with the conclusion of T20 World Cup 2024. The BCCI has already begun the hunt for a new coach.

BCCI secretary Jay Shah has revealed that the BCCI is looking at candidates possessing a deep understanding of Indian cricket structure. (Photo – Getty Images)

New Delhi: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Friday has firmly denied approaching any ex-Australian cricketer for the role of Team India head coach. The clarification comes after the speculations that ran rife over the BCCI reaching out to the likes of Ricky Ponting and Justin Langer to consider thing up Rahul Dravid’s hat for the next tenure.

Both Ponting and Langer had their take on the “tough” job and reasoned for ruling themselves out of contention. In response to such reactions, BCCI secretary Jay Shah said, “Neither I nor the BCCI have approached any former Australian cricketer with a coaching offer.”

Shah also hinted that the next Indian coach who will be succeeding Rahul Dravid is likely to be an Indian. “Finding the right coach for our national team is a meticulous and thorough process. We are focused on identifying individuals who possess a deep understanding of the Indian cricket structure and have risen through the ranks,” he said.

He also added that the candidate the BCCI is looking at shall possess an in-depth knowledge of Indian domestic cricket framework “to truly elevate Team India to the next level,” refuting all the reports of BCCI offering the role to the Australians.

Not just Ponting and Langer but the media reports also surfaced the name of Stephen Fleming for the job. Dravid hasn’t re-applied for the role and is reportedly not interested in carrying it further. His stint will come to an end with the end of his contract after the T20 World Cup 2024.

Ponting and Langer have their say

In a conversation with ICC Review, Ponting had said, “There were a few little one-on-one conversations during the IPL, just to get a level of interest from me as to whether I would do it,” and also added that even his family persuaded him to take up the job.

Meanwhile, Langer revealed discussing the matter with KL Rahul, the skipper of Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), the Indian Premier League (IPL) team which he coaches. He too distanced himself from the role and was non-committal saying that “it’s exhausting.”

Shah in his statement weighed in on the gravity of the role terming it as “prestigious” as Team India enjoys a global fan base and their “unrivalled” support.

“The role demands a high level of professionalism as one gets to nurture some of the best cricketers in the world and an assembly line of talented cricketers to follow. Catering to the aspirations of a billion fans is a huge honour and the BCCI will pick the right candidate, capable of propelling Indian cricket forward,” he added.

Amid the foreign ex-cricketers, the name of Gautam Gambhir is also grabbing some serious spotlight. The BCCI has already invited applications for the same and has set May 27 as the deadline.