Gautam Gambhir Frontrunner to Replace Rahul Dravid as India Men's Head Coach

Gautam Gambhir, the former Indian cricketer, has emerged as the frontrunner to replace Rahul Dravid as the head coach of the Indian men's cricket team. Gambhir has formally applied for the position and attended an interview with the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) on Tuesday.

The CAC, comprising former India cricketers Ashok Malhotra, Jatin Paranjape, and Sulakshana Naik, is responsible for shortlisting applicants for the head coach position. The BCCI has not disclosed the number of applications received for the post.

Gambhir's application comes after informal discussions with the BCCI during the IPL 2024 season, where he played a key role in Kolkata Knight Riders' third title triumph. He previously served as a mentor for Lucknow Super Giants in the 2022 and 2023 IPL seasons, guiding the team to the playoffs both times.

Speaking at an event in Abu Dhabi on June 1, Gambhir expressed his desire to coach India. "There is no bigger honour than coaching your national team," he said. "You are representing 140 crore Indians. And more across the globe as well. And when you represent India, how can it get bigger than that?"

Gambhir became the frontrunner for the job after his former India teammate VVS Laxman declined the BCCI's offer to become the head coach. Laxman is currently the director of cricket at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru.

Dravid, who took over from Ravi Shastri after the T20 World Cup in November 2021, initially signed on for two years until the 2023 ODI World Cup. He later agreed to extend his tenure until the ongoing T20 World Cup.

The BCCI has stated that the new head coach will be appointed for a three-and-a-half-year term, from July 2024 to December 2027, and will be responsible for the team in all three formats of the game.

Tags: #GautamGambhir, #RahulDravid, #IndiaMen'sHeadCoach, #CricketAdvisoryCommittee, #BCCI