Former opening batter Gautam Gambhir is in pole position to become the next head coach of India after media reports said on Tuesday that he was the only applicant for the high-profile post.
The 42-year-old, a flamboyant left-handed batsman who scored over 10,000 international runs across three formats for India, most recently coached Kolkata Knight Riders to the IPL crown.
Applications for the position of head coach closed on May 27, with Indian media reporting Gambhir was the only person to put his name forward.
His interview was set to take place on Tuesday, the Indian Express reported, citing BCCI sources, saying he was the “only candidate to have applied”. The Times of India called him the “presumed front-runner”.
India’s cricket board, the BCCI, has not made any official comment on the process.
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The position of India’s head coach is currently held by former captain Rahul Dravid but will become vacant following the T20 World Cup after he decided not to stay on.
India are seeking Dravid’s replacement to lead the team until the next ODI World Cup, scheduled in 2027.
Notably, India have not won a global title since the 2013 Champions Trophy under their last foreign coach, Duncan Fletcher of Zimbabwe.
Local media reports initially said that as well as Gambhir, former New Zealand skipper Stephen Fleming and Australians Ricky Ponting and Justin Langer had also been sounded out for the job.
However, BCCI secretary Jay Shah dismissed the reports, issuing a statement saying that no Australian had been approached with a coaching offer.
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