 "Gautam Gambhir attended the interview for India head coach virtually. PTI")
Gautam Gambhir reacted to the possibility of becoming Team India head coach for the first time on Sunday, saying he “would love” to take up the role and that there is “no bigger honour” than coaching the national team.
Former India opener Gambhir, who currently serves as mentor to the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), is one of the front-runners for the post that appears set to be vacated by Rahul Dravid at the end of the ongoing T20 World Cup.
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“I would love to coach the Indian team. There is no bigger honour than coaching your national team. You are representing 140 crore Indians and those across the globe as well," Gambhir said at an event on Sunday.
Besides Gambhir, National Cricket Academy (NCA) Director and former India batter VVS Laxman is the other leading candidate to succeed Dravid, who had taken over from Ravi Shastri in late 2021. Laxman had served as head coach intermittently when Dravid chose to go on a break, including in last year’s T20I tour of Ireland and in the Hangzhou Asian Games.
Also linked to the job is former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming, who has served as head coach of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the IPL since 2009.
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However, Australian legends Ricky Ponting and Justin Langer have shied away from taking up what is one of the most high-pressure jobs in cricket.
Dravid’s contract was originally supposed to expire at the end of last year’s ODI World Cup at home, in which India finished runners-up following a defeat against Australia in the final.