The application deadline for the vacant position of Indian cricket team head coach was on Monday, but both the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and Gautam Gambhir, who is a leading candidate, have said nothing about it.
This has caused fervor around Gambhir’s name especially after he captained his Kolkata Knight Riders to their third title in the Indian Premier League (IPL) last Sunday.
It seems that the BCCI has not yet released any official statement as neither Gambhir nor anyone else at BCCI has talked about it. This might be because there are no many high-ranking applicants available for selection by the Indian cricket board right now.
It can be understood that no big foreign name has applied; this is particularly so in light of what BCCI Secretary Jay Shah said when he made it known that someone who had come up through his ranks and knew his way around India will be considered.
VVS Laxman, National Cricket Academy head could be assumed to have been their primary target but this stylish Hyderabadi appears disinclined towards full-time job where you should be present 10 months annually.
“The deadline is fine, but the BCCI brass wouldn’t mind taking some more time before reaching a decision. Right now, the team will be busy with World T20 for most part of June. After that seniors will rest from tours of Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe where all NCA-based senior coaches may go along with them. So why hurry,” a BCCI source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
Also KKR principal owner Shah Rukh Khan shares an unbreakable bond with Gambhir therefore leaving an IPL team which has become his identity as former Indian opener is not easy for him.
There is also another perspective that requires serious attention here- Whatever our current senior India cricketers playing in New York feel whether Gambhir can actually replace Rahul Dravid.
