With India’s head coach Rahul Dravid’s term ending after the 2024 T20 World Cup in June, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) wishes to appoint former Indian batter Gautam Gambhir as Dravid’s successor, reported Cricinfo on 17 May.
Currently, Gambhir is the mentor of Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, and the BCCI has contacted him to ask if he is interested in taking the position. The report added that the next round of discussions between the BCCI and Gambhir is expected after KKR completes their IPL 2024 campaign.
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The last day to apply for the India head coach job is 27 May, the day after the IPL final.
Meanwhile, it has been learnt that when asked if Dravid wants to continue as India’s head coach, he communicated his decision not to seek another tenure.
Earlier in May, the BCCI posted an advertisement seeking applications for the India men’s head coach position. In the ad, the apex Indian cricket body said that the post is for all three formats for three and a half years, beginning July 2024 until December 2027.
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Dravid, who started to coach Indian cricket team after the 2021 T20 World Cup, was supposed to end his stint after the 2023 ODI World Cup in November, but agreed to an extension until the end of the 2024 T20 World Cup – to be played in the USA and West Indies from 1 June.
Though the former left-handed Indian batter has no experience coaching at international or domestic levels, Gambhir has mentored Lucknow Super Giants in IPL 2022 and 2023. He is also currently the mentor of Kolkata Knight Riders. Both teams have qualified for the playoffs.
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Gambhir’s stats:
Gautam Gambhir played 147 One-Day international matches for India between 2003 and 2013 and scored 5238 runs. His highest score is an unbeaten 150, and he has hit 11 centuries.
He played 58 tests between 2004 and 2016 and scored 4154 runs. His highest test score is 206, and he has made nine centuries.
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Between 2007 and 2018, Gambhir played 251 T20I matches for India, scoring 6402 runs, including 93 runs at his highest.
He also contributed to India’s T20 World Cup triumph in 2007 and the ODI World Cup victory in 2011. Gambhir also led KKR for seven IPL seasons from 2011-2017, during which time the franchise won two titles in 2012 and 2014.
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Published: 17 May 2024, 09:19 PM IST