The current head coach of the Indian cricket team, Rahul Dravid, will be stepping down after the conclusion of the team's T20 World Cup campaign.
Former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir was considered the leading candidate to replace Rahul Dravid as the head coach of the Indian men's cricket team. He was the sole Indian contender for the position until Monday. Reports suggested that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had already come to an agreement with Gambhir, and an official announcement was expected later this month, after the conclusion of India's campaign in the ongoing 2024 T20 World Cup. However, Gambhir now faces competition from the highly experienced WV Raman, who was also interviewed by the BCCI's Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) on Tuesday.
Raman, a seasoned veteran with 28 international matches under his belt, possesses a vast amount of coaching expertise. In comparison, Gambhir has only served as a mentor for two IPL franchises in the past three seasons. Notably, one of these franchises, the Kolkata Knight Riders, emerged victorious in the 2024 tournament.
After retiring from professional cricket, Raman transitioned into coaching, starting with roles in the domestic circuit for Tamil Nadu and Bengal. He then moved on to the IPL, where he served as an assistant coach for the Punjab franchise in 2013 and later as a batting coach for KKR. Raman also had the honor of being the head coach of the Indian women's cricket team from 2018 to 2021. Notably, Gambhir sought Raman's guidance to regain his form in 2013, and they later reunited at the KKR camp in 2014, the season in which they secured their second IPL trophy.
A recent report from News18 suggests that due to Raman's extensive experience and impressive interview for the head coach position, the BCCI may be inclined to 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 Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) members, consisting of Ashok Malhotra, Jatin Paranjape, and Sulakshana Naik, are facing a significant dilemma in choosing between Gambhir and Raman for the coaching role. Recent reports suggest that while there were speculations about interviewing an overseas candidate for the position, no such interviews have taken place yet, narrowing the selection down to the two Indian options.
The current head coach of the Indian cricket team, Rahul Dravid, will be stepping down after the conclusion of the team's T20 World Cup campaign in the West Indies. The team is currently in Barbados for the Super 8 matches following an undefeated run in the group stage. Their next match is against Afghanistan on Thursday.
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