Former Indian National Cricket Team pacer RP Singh has sent a crucial reminder to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) as they search for a new head coach to replace Rahul Dravid amid reports of that Gautam Gambhir emerges as the favorite for the top spot in Indian cricket.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) recently invited applications for the post of head coach of the Indian team and the deadline for submitting applications has already ended. The BCCI has received many requests and is reportedly in no mood to finalize things quickly and is expected to take its time before taking any decision.
The tenure of current Indian coach Rahul Dravid, who replaced Ravi Shastri, ended after the ICC ODI World Cup 2023, and his contract was extended until the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024. He has reportedly shown no interest in continuing. his position, and National Cricket Academy director VVS Laxman, who was touted as next in line for the top job, has also shown no interest in becoming the team’s head coach.
The names of Stephen Fleming, Ricky Ponting and Justin Langer were mentioned, but the Australians have shown disinterest, while BCCI secretary Jay Shah recently made it clear that they are looking for someone with a deep understanding of the structure of cricket. Indian and, therefore, govern. Fleming out of the race.
Currently, Kolkata Knight Riders mentor Gautam Gambhir is leading the race to become the head coach of the Indian team, but once he assumes that role, he will have to end his Indian Premier League commitments with Kolkata Knight Riders. Notably, Gautam Gambhir joined the franchise as a mentor in 2024 and in the same season, KKR won their third IPL title. Before joining KKR, Gautam Gambhir mentored Lucknow Super Giants for two seasons.
Rahul Dravid did an excellent job as a coach – RP Singh
Speaking at the launch of India’s Champions jersey at the Legends World Championship, RP Singh gave a crucial suggestion to the BCCI on hiring an Indian coach. He highlighted how well the Indian team under Rahul Dravid performed in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 despite not crossing the final hurdle.
Talking about Gautam Gambhir, RP Singh said that the Kolkata Knight Riders mentor is a very good choice to take up the job.
“I certainly think we should have an Indian coach. Rahul Dravid did an excellent job as a coach. He did very well as a coach. Yes, we lost the World Cup final, but he has had a great impact on the team and the players As India coach Gautam Gambhir’s name is doing the rounds, I think he is a very good fit for the team,” Singh was quoted as saying by India Today.
During the same interaction, RP Singh stated that Arshdeep Singh should partner Jasprit Bumrah at the death in the upcoming T20 World Cup as Mohammed Siraj is at his best with the new ball.
“Death bowling is important in T20 cricket. We have Bumrah who is a specialist. I think he can be used there for 2-3 overs. I think along with him we need to have Arshdeep Singh. He is a good bowler. at the death. Siraj is third on my list, but he can be lethal with the new ball,” Singh said.
The Indian national cricket team will play a warm-up match against the Bangladesh national cricket team at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York on June 1.