Team India head coach: Gautam Gambhir set to succeed Rahul Dravid

Former India opener likely to guide Team India through next World Cup cycle; WV Raman interviewed too
MUMBAI: Former India opener Gautam Gambhir, who played a significant role in India’s two World Cup victories in 2007 and 2011, is set to replace Rahul Dravid as the new head coach of the Indian men’s cricket team. On Tuesday, Gambhir and former India opener and ex-India women’s team coach WV Raman were interviewed via Zoom for the job by the BCCI’s Cricket Advisory Committee.
The BCCI is likely to make a formal announcement regarding Gambhir’s appointment towards the closing stages of the ongoing T20 World Cup, or just after its conclusion. The 42-year-old would be the head coach for all the three formats of the game, and his term, which will start from July 2024, will end in December 2027, after the conclusion of the 50-over World Cup that year.
Gambhir was interviewed at 12 pm, while Raman’s interview began at 12.45pm and lasted for 30 minutes. It's not clear if any other candidates will be interviewed on Wednesday.
The BCCI had invited applications for the job on its website after Dravid, who took up the role after the 2021 T20 World Cup, expressed his inability to continue as the India head coach after the end of his term, which was extended by six months after the 2023 ODI World Cup in India last year.
The deadline to apply for the post was May 27, a day after the IPL final. Gambhir is currently a mentor of the 2024 IPL champions Kolkata Knight Riders -- a post he will obviously quit following his India appointment. Like it has done in the past, the BCCI will give Gambhir the freedom to choose the team's support staff.
Dravid, TOI has learnt, is already on the radar of a couple of IPL teams and could be joining them as the team director. The CAC comprises former India cricketers Ashok Malhotra, Jatin Paranjape and Sulakshana Naik.
"Gambhir was in Delhi and appeared for the interview on Zoom. CAC head Ashok Malhotra is doing commentary in Punjab T20 League and attended via zoom, but Paranjape and Naik were at the BCCI HQ in Mumbai. The interview was a mere formal part of the process, since the BCCI bosses are convinced that he's the right man for the job, as they sense the need to have a coach who can take a few tough calls going forward in Indian cricket," a source told TOI.
Speculation had been rife that Gambhir could take up an important position in Indian cricket ever since he quit ‘active politics' on March 2, just ahead of BJP's candidate list announcement for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. The fact that KKR clinched the IPL this year, after they finished seventh in 2023, convinced the decision makers in Indian cricket that Gambhir was apt for the job, even though he hasn't coached any team in international or domestic cricket. Previously, the 42-year-old was a mentor of Lucknow Super Giants, who made the playoffs in both the years that he was in charge.
Gambhir had also captained KKR to IPL titles in 2012 and 2014 (incidentally Raman was the team's batting coach that year) and led the team for seven seasons.
It helped his case that the BCCI was keen on an Indian coach to take up the crucial role, with Board secretary Jay Shah having said recently that the cricket body hadn't approached any former Australian cricketer for the job. "It will be great for Indian cricket," a franchise owner told TOI on Gambhir taking over as India coach soon. Gambhir's post IPL final long chat with BCCI secretary Jay Shah in Chennai on May 26 further increased the chatter around his taking up the India head coach job soon.
NEW SELECTOR TO BE APPOINTED SOON
Meanwhile, the CAC is also supposed to conduct interviews to find a selector from the North Zone, who will replace Salil Ankola in the selection committee. Both Ankola and chief selector Ajit Agarkar are from the West Zone. Agarkar was appointed in July last year and replaced Chetan Sharma, who had to quit after a sting operation. Ankola was already a selector when Agarkar took over.