File photo of Indian cricket team coach Rahul Dravid and captain Rohit Sharma© AFP
The race for the next Indian cricket team coach is getting interesting. The tenure of the current coach Rahul Dravid ends with the 2024 T20 World Cup, which will run till the end of June. BCCI, according to its advertisement, plans to have a new coach take over by July 1. The person will be in charge till the end of 2027. Basically, upon him will be the responsibility to guide the team at the 2025 Champions Trophy and the 2027 ODI World Cup. Several reports have claimed that Indian cricket team, after a long time, may have an overseas coach.
According to a report in Sportstar, Rahul Dravid, who got an extension in the job after the ODI World Cup 2023, informed the Board before-hand that he will not longer be seeking another extension for personal reasons. The report added that some seniors had requested him to continue with the Test team but he refused.
VVS Laxman, the head of the National Cricket Academy, was speculated to be one of the front-runners for the post. But he too is unlikely to enter the fray for the top bob, said the report.
There has been a lot of chatter around BCCI potentially approaching former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming to succeed Rahul Dravid as the Indian cricket team head coach. Fleming is currently the Chennai Super Kings head coach and during his tenure, the team has won a record-equaling five Indian Premier League (IPL) titles. The Indian Express reported that BCCI consider Fleming as a ‘suitable candidate’ due to his man management skills and pedigree. However, CSK have denied any such rumours and CEO Kasi Viswanathan said that there has been no such communication between Fleming and the franchise till now.
“I have not heard anything like this. There has been no communication from Stephen Fleming to CSK either,” CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan told Sports Now.
Some reports have suggested that Ricky Ponting is also in the running.
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