Gambhir interviews for India head coach position

Gautam Gambhir, the frontrunner to change Rahul Dravid as India males’s head coach, has actually officially made an application for the position and went to an interview on Tuesday, ESPNcricinfo has actually discovered. Gambhir engaged with the BCCI’s cricket advisory committee (CAC), which is the panel turned over by the BCCI to shortlist candidates.

It might not be verified the number of applications the BCCI has actually gotten, however it has actually been discovered that WV Raman, the previous India batter who was India ladies’s head coach from December 2018 to May 2021, has actually likewise been talked to *.

The BCCI, which had actually set May 27 as the due date for applications for the post, had actually held casual conversations with Gambhir throughout IPL 2024, when he assisted Kolkata Knight Riders to their 3rd title after going back to the franchise as coach in November 2023.

The KKR task was Gambhir’s 2nd stint in a training function; he had actually been a coach at Lucknow Super Giants throughout the 2022 and 2023 IPL seasons, assisting the group get approved for the playoffs both times.

Gambhir had actually looked for time to take a last call throughout the IPL, however speaking at an occasion in Abu Dhabi on June 1, he revealed his desire to coach India. “Look, I would like to coach the Indian group,” Gambhir stated. “There is no larger honour. There is no larger honour than training your nationwide group. You are representing 140 crore Indians. And more throughout the world. And when you represent India, how can it grow than that?”

He had actually been responding to a concern on whether he saw himself assisting India win a World Cup.

“How can I assist India win the World Cup – I believe it’s not me that will assist India win the World Cup, it is 140 crore Indians that will assist India win the World Cup,” Gambhir stated. “If everybody begins wishing us, and we begin playing and representing them, India will win the World Cup. The most crucial thing is to be courageous and yes, I would enjoy to coach India.”

Gambhir ended up being the frontrunner for the task as soon as his previous India team-mate VVS Laxman informed the BCCI in 2015 that he was not thinking about the head coach task. Laxman is presently the director of cricket at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru.

Dravid had actually taken over from Ravi Shastri after the T20 World Cup in November 2021, at first signing on for 2 years till the 2023 ODI World Cup. He then accepted the BCCI’s demand to extend his period till the continuous T20 World Cup.

The BCCI had actually stated the brand-new head coach would be selected for three-and-a-half years, from July 2024 to December 2027, and would helm the group in all 3 formats.

* The post was upgraded at 3.20 pm GMT on June 18 with the news of WV Raman’s interview.