The former India batter is presently the team mentor at KKR in IPL 2024.
When Rahul Dravid’s tenure as India’s head coach comes to an end at the end of the 2024 T20 World Cup in June, former batter Gautam Gambhir is the top choice on the BCCI’s wish list.
According to information obtained by ESPNcricinfo, the BCCI has gotten in touch with Gambhir, the current IPL mentor of the Kolkata Knight Riders, to find out if he is interested in the role. After KKR’s 2024 IPL campaign is over, more talks are anticipated. But on May 27, the day following the IPL final, applications for the position of head coach for India must be submitted.
It has been learned that Dravid informed the BCCI of his decision to forego seeking another tenure.
Although the 42-year-old Gambhir has never coached at the professional or international levels, he has managed the coaching staffs of two IPL teams. He served as the coach of the Lucknow Super Giants in the 2022 and 2023 Indian Premier League, where they made it to the playoffs both years. He then joined the Kolkata Knight Riders for the 2024 season, where they will win the league title. It was surprising to see Gambhir join KKR for the 2024 Indian Premier League, but Shah Rukh Khan, the team’s major owner, reportedly convinced him to take on the role of trainer.
Gambhir participated in both India’s 2011 ODI World Cup victory and their 2007 T20 World Cup victory. From 2011 to 2017, he led KKR for seven IPL seasons. Under his direction, the team won two trophies in 2012 and 2014 and made it to the playoffs five times. In 2014, they also advanced to the Champions League T20 final, which is since discontinued.
The BCCI published a call for applications to fill the role of head coach for the men’s team in India last week. According to the BCCI, the position would be available for all three formats for a period of three and a half years, beginning in July 2024 and ending in December 2027.
Following the 2021 T20 World Cup, Dravid started his two-year tenure as India’s head coach. His contract was set to expire in November of last year following the 2023 ODI World Cup, but he consented to an extension through the conclusion of the 2024 T20 World Cup, which will be held in the USA and the West Indies in June.