Michael Hussey Declines Interest in India Head Coach Role

Michael Hussey, the former Australian left-handed opener, has expressed his disinterest in becoming the head coach of the India men's cricket team. Hussey, who recently served as an assistant coach with the Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2024, cited the demanding nature of the role and his desire for a balanced lifestyle as reasons for his decision.

"They play more cricket than probably anyone in the world really, they're literally going from tour to tour to tour," Hussey said. "So that would be a pretty challenging sort of role where you'd have to be there, boots on the ground. You're probably only getting the IPL off, which is eight to 10 weeks, but then the rest of the year you're going to be pretty much on the go."

Hussey also acknowledged the high regard in which Stephen Fleming, the former New Zealand captain and current head coach of the Chennai Super Kings, is held in India. However, he believes that Fleming is unlikely to entertain the idea of coaching India due to his own preference for a balanced lifestyle.

"It just goes to show how highly regarded he is on the world stage but particularly in India," Hussey said. "But I don't think he'd entertain the idea, he loves the balance as well. He probably finds it a little bit amusing that his name keeps coming up, but pretty honoured that he's in the mix."

India has a history of appointing overseas head coaches, including John Wright (New Zealand), Greg Chappell (Australia), Gary Kirsten (South Africa), and Duncan Fletcher (Zimbabwe). However, Chappell believes that the demanding nature of the role may deter many potential candidates.

"I'm not sure many want to do 10 months on the road, especially if they can do media work," Chappell said. "It's almost a no-win role."

Kumar Sangakkara, the director of cricket for the Rajasthan Royals and former Sri Lanka captain, has also ruled himself out of contention for the India head coach job.

"I have not been approached, and I don't have time to commit full-time to an India coaching job," Sangakkara said. "Happy with my stint with Royals, and let's see how it goes."

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