Ricky Ponting Expresses Interest in India Head Coach Role, but Timing Not Right

Ricky Ponting, the legendary Australian cricketer, has revealed that he was approached to become India's next head coach. However, despite expressing interest in the role, Ponting has stated that it is an "unlikely" option for him at present due to the significant time commitment it would require.

Ponting, who is currently the head coach of Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and a television commentator in Australia, said that he has ambitions to coach a national team in the future. However, he emphasized that the timing is not right for him to take on the India job, given his other commitments.

"I'd love to be a senior coach of a national team, but with the other things that I have in my life and wanting to have a bit of time at home…everyone knows if you take a job working with the Indian team you can't be involved in an IPL team, so it would take that out of it as well," Ponting explained.

He added that the role of a national head coach requires a significant time commitment, which does not align with his current lifestyle. "Also, a national head coach is a 10 or 11-month of the year job, and as much as I'd like to do it, it just doesn't fit into my lifestyle right now and the things that I really enjoy doing," Ponting said.

Despite his initial reluctance, Ponting did leave the door slightly open to the possibility of taking on the India job in the future. He revealed that his young son, Fletcher, had expressed enthusiasm about the prospect of moving to India.

"My family and my kids have spent the last five weeks over at the IPL with me and they come over every year and I had a whisper to my son about it, and I said, 'Dad's been offered the Indian coaching job' and he said, 'Just take it dad, we would love to move over there for the next couple of years,'" Ponting said.

However, Ponting emphasized that his current lifestyle and commitments make it unlikely that he will accept the India job at this time. He is currently the head of strategy at Hobart Hurricanes in Australia's Big Bash League and the head coach of Washington Freedom in the MLC tournament in the United States.

The BCCI has set a deadline of May 27 for applications for the India head coach role, which will cover all three formats of the game for a period of three and a half years, starting from July 2024.

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