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India Head Coach Interview: Gautam Gambhir Front-Runner, WV Raman Also In Fray
India Head Coach Interview Highlights: The Indian cricket team coach race is not as boring as some might have thought it would be
India Head Coach Interview Highlights: Gautam Gambhir© BCCI/IPL
BCCI Announcement India Head Coach: The Indian cricket team coach race is not as boring as some might have thought it would be. After early reports suggested that Gautam Gambhir was the only candidate, things changed on Tuesday as news emerged that WV Raman was interviewed. Now, another report has emerged which says that there might be a situation where both Gautam Gambhir and WV Raman may be roped in given their expertise. Gautam Gambhir, who is reported to be the front-runner for the coach's post, has had some demands regarding his support staff. If Gambhir does leave to take up the India job, do Kolkata Knight Riders have a plan in place?
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- 15:03 (IST)India Coach Interview Live: Gautam Gambhir Condoles David Johnson's DeathGautam Gambhir saddened by the passing away of former Indian cricketer David Johnson.
Saddened by the passing away of David Johnson. May god give strength to his family and loved ones.
— Gautam Gambhir (@GautamGambhir) June 20, 2024 - 13:19 (IST)India Coach Interview Live: Will Jonty Rhodes Join Gautam Gambhir?The BCCI is expected to take a call on Gautam Gambhir's support staff too, particularly with respect to Jonty Rhodes, who is wanted by the former India opener.
Gautam Gambhir - India's Head Coach
— Richard Kettleborough (@RichKettle07) June 19, 2024
Jonty Rhodes - India's Fielding Coach
If this happens, then it will a revolutionary decision by @BCCI pic.twitter.com/UAaHGToDGX - 11:35 (IST)India Coach Interview Live: Gautam Gambhir's Record As CaptainUsually, a player's record as captain suggests how good a coach he or she can be. Gambhir has led India in six ODIs, where he averaged a whopping 90 with the bat. Not just that, India won four of those six games.As a captain at Kolkata Knight Riders, Gambhir won two IPL titles. He is the only player after Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni to win more than one IPL title as a leader.
- 10:18 (IST)India Coach Interview Live: "Whatever Gambhir Touches, Turns To Gold"Former Pakistan cricketer Kamran Akmal has nothing but praise for Gautam Gambhir."Gambhir jo cheez chootha hai, wo sona ban jaati hai. Wo jis team se judta hai, wo successful ho jaati hai (Anything Gambhir touches turns into gold. The team he's linked with, becomes successful)," he told The Times of India.
- 09:04 (IST)India Coach Appointment Live: What Next For KKR?The Kolkata Knight Riders, who roped in Gautam Gambhir as mentor only before the 2024 season, could be staring at a fresh start if their former captain leaves for the India coach job. As per the BCCI rules, Gambhir can't hold both positions simultaneously. Despite Shah Rukh Khan offering Gambhir a '10-year vision', the former India opener seems to be keen on taking the India job.
- 07:37 (IST)India Coach Appointment Live: The Gambhir-Raman PlanIf recent developments are to be believed, the BCCI might consider handing both Gautam Gambhir and WV Raman a role each with the senior Indian men's team. The board was against the idea of appointing different coaches for different formats, which still remains the case, but could get Gambhir and Raman to work alongside each other across the formats in a unique setup.
- 06:12 (IST)India Coach Interview Live: Rahul Dravid Into The Final PhaseAs Gautam Gambhir and WV Raman compete for the top job, India's current head coach Rahul Dravid enters the final phase of his stint as the national team takes on Afghanistan in a Super 8 clash of the T20 World Cup 2024. Dravid would still be hopeful of ending his tenure with an ICC trophy, but it isn't going to be as easy in the Caribbean islands.
- 00:06 (IST)India Coach Appointment Live: All possibilitiesAnother day has passed. However, the permutation and combination surrounding the Indian cricket team coaching job is getting interesting. From only Gautam Gambhir to Gambhir or WV Raman to Gambhir and Raman, the possibilities seem endless if reports are believed to be true
- 21:55 (IST)India Coach Interview Live: Raman's caseThe report further claims that Raman's experience with he Indian U-19 team and the women's team might help in the transition process. "Raman has seen these youngsters grow from close quarters when he filled in as coach during different U-19 and A series. He can be your right guy to handhold these players as the side is set to undergo a massive transition in the next couple of years. That is likely to begin in T20s after the World Cup and ODIs, Tests will witness that too in next 12-15 months," the report quoted a source as saying.
- 21:39 (IST)India Coach Appointment Live: Interesting developmentA report in CricketNext has an interesting update. It explores the possibility of both Gautam Gambhir and WV Raman as part of the coaching staff."The Indian cricket board must look at utilising the services of both Raman and Gambhir. There are numerous ways in which one can do that - say have Gambhir as head coach and Raman as batting coach or allow Raman to have more say in red ball. Lot of ways one can use them because both can benefit Indian cricket and that's what one should look at," the report quoted a source as saying.
- 20:59 (IST)India Coach Interview Live: Kumble on Gambhir as coachThe wait for the next coach announcement is still on. Anil Kumble, who has been one of the few cricketers to lead and coach India, has this to say ESPN Cricinfo: "We will have to give him time. He certainly is capable. We have seen him handle team. But Indian team coaching is different. He will have the task of looking at not just the current players but the future. Today what is important is we need to chose the right candidate about what he brings to the table. Someone who has the stature and credibility to handle certain situations in the game and some who is not afraid to take those calls"
- 19:46 (IST)BCCI Selector Appointmenr Live: Two names emergeIn the midst of all this, former Delhi captain Mithun Manhas and junior national selection panel member Krishan Mohan Sharma are front-runners for the North Zone selector's post, which will be vacated by former India speedster Salil Ankola, according to a report in PTI. Former Haryana cricketer Ajay Ratra, who had been interviewed earlier, ex-Punjab all-rounder Reetinder Singh Sodhi and Nikhil Chopra are also in contention for the key post.
- 18:26 (IST)India Coach Interview Live: Why Is BCCI Pursuing Gambhir?A report by news agency IANS has said, quoting sources, on the reason behind BCCI pursuing Gambhir with so much intensity. The report said the BCCI officials are impressed with the way Gambhir mentored young players at KKR and helped the franchise win its third IPL. Gambhir confirmed his candidature after the BCCI bigwigs agreed to his condition of being given a free hand in running the team as he does at the KKR.
- 17:19 (IST)India Coach Appointment Live: Who Will Be The Bowling Coach?Interestingly, Gautam Gambhir and BCCI have received from an ex-Pakistan player Kamran Akmal regarding the support. Akmal feels that India should go for Gambhir's former India teammates Zaheer Khan or Ashish Nehra to be the next bowling coach. "Gambhir was with Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and they did really well under him. He became a mentor of KKR and they became champions. He is an amazing planner and has a brilliant cricketing mind. I have played a lot of cricket with him. We have been together for a long time. We played, had food and had chats together. We are still good friends. We are still in touch," Akmal told Times of India."He should be the head coach and India can go for Ashish Nehra or Zaheer Khan as bowling coach."
- 16:34 (IST)India Coach Interview Live: Surprise in fielding coach?A new update is coming up. Gautam Gambhir, and not BCCI, has approached SA great Jonty Rhodes to be the next fielding coach of the Indian cricket team, according to a report in Cricbuzz. Gambhir and Rhodes worked together at the Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL. Under their guidance, LSG entered the IPL playoffs twice
- 14:11 (IST)India Coach Interview Live: What WV Raman Said On Gautam GambhirWV Raman, competing with Gautam Gambhir for the India head coach job, had nothing but praise for the 2011 World Cup-winner."I've always rated Gautam Gambhir as one of the best captains in the IPL. He's always been intense and tactically sound. His success comes purely from his own efforts. He is committed to cricket and does not try to conform to others' expectations. If he takes up the India role, I wish him all the very best," Raman had told RevSportz.
- 12:49 (IST)India Coach Interview Live: Questions Asked By CAC
The CAC reportedly asked these three questions to Gautam Gambhir and WV Raman, as per RevSportz:
1. What are your ideas regarding the coaching staff of the team?
2. With a few aging players in both the batting and bowling departments, how will you handle the transition phase?
3. What are your views on split captaincy, fitness parameters concerning workload management, and addressing the team's failure to win ICC trophies?
- 11:46 (IST)India Coach Interview Live: What Gambhir's Appointment Would Mean For Rohit, KohliFormer India opener Aakash Chopra feels a lot could change for India's veteran stars if Gautam Gambhir gets hired as head coach."I am saying it will be an interesting tenure because you will have to manage the transition here, and that is never an easy thing. Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Mohammed Shami, maybe Ravindra Jadeja, especially their roles in T20s, there are plenty of people who are on the wrong side of 30, 35 to 37, including Ravichandran Ashwin," Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
- 10:50 (IST)India Coach Interview Live: What Gambhir Had Said On India Coach JobA week or so ago, Gautam Gambhir openly flirted with the idea of taking the India coach job. He had said: "Look, I would love to coach the Indian team," Gambhir said. "There is no bigger honour. There is no bigger honour than coaching your national team. You are representing 140 crore Indians. And more across the globe as well. And when you represent India, how can it get bigger than that?"
- 10:14 (IST)India Coach Interview Live: Gambhir All Set To Replace Dravid, Announcement On...India head coach Rahul Dravid is expected to be replaced by Gautam Gambhir despite competition from WV Raman, former Indian women's team coach. As per a report, the formal announcement of Gambhir's appointment is likely to be made by the BCCI during the closing stages of the T20 World Cup 2024.
- 09:07 (IST)India Coach Interview Live: Which Stars To Benefit With Gambhir's Appointment?With Gautam Gambhir leading the race for Team India's next head coach, the return of Shreyas Iyer to India's setup is likely to get a boost. Also, IPL stars like Abhishek Sharma, Riyan Parag, Mayank Yadav, Harshit Rana, Nitish Reddy, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Yash Dayal are all at the NCA camp at present, with the development hinting at their potential call-up for the national team.
- 07:41 (IST)India Coach Interview Live: New Coach To Be Given 3 And A Half Year DealThe BCCI has already confirmed that the new head coach would be appointed for for three-and-a-half years, from July 2024 to December 2027. The board had also stated that the head coach would guide the team in all three formats, ruling out separate appointments for separate roles.
- 00:23 (IST)India Coach Interview Live: The story so farToday might be the day when BCCI announces Indian cricket team's next head coach. According to the information so far, Gautam Gambhir and WV Raman are the two candidates who have been interviewed. That's a surprise because some reports pointed at Gambhir being the only candidate. one report even said that though Gambhir is the front-runner, the BCCI liked WV Raman's presentation.
- 23:23 (IST)Coach Appointment Live: Cryptic post by WV Raman
Oh dear!!
— WV Raman (@wvraman) June 18, 2024 - 23:11 (IST)India Coach Interview Live: Know the candidatesThat is not all. Gambhir, as a mentor, guided new Franchise Lucknow Super Giants to IPL playoffs twice. Then in 2024, as KKR mentor, he guided the team to the title. Gambhir is a former IPL-winning captain too with Kolkata Knight Riders.
- 22:44 (IST)Coach Appointment Live: Know the candidatesNow the second candidate: Gautam Gambhir. A member of India's 2007 T20 World Cup and 2011 ODI World Cup winning teams, Gambhir was one of the best left-handed openers that this country has produced. In both the 2007 T20 World Cup and 2011 ODI World Cup, he played crucial roles. After hanging his playing boots, he wore the mentor's hat for several IPL teams.
- 22:19 (IST)India Coach Interview Live: Know the candidatesLet's look at the two candidates whose name have come up so far: 1st the surprise one - WV Raman. A veteran of 11 Tests and 27 ODIs, Raman is 59 years old. Interestingly, BCCI said the candidates must be below 60. Raman played his domestic cricket for Tamil Nadu as a left-handed batter and a part-time left-arm spinner. Raman was also the coach of the Indian women's national team.
- 21:54 (IST)Coach Appointment Live: A 3-way race?The coaching selection process is likely to continue tomorrow also. Several reports have claimed that an overseas coach will be interviewed. Though so far, there has been no clarity on who that person goin to be. Is BCCI looking at multiple roles in the coaching role? No report has so far point at that direction.
- 20:56 (IST)India Coach Interview Live: When will the coach be named?When will the India coach be named? Now that is an interesting question. According to news agency PTI, there is an Apex Council meeting on Tuesday evening and it is understood that BCCI secretary Jay Shah will apprise the members of the coach selection process before the final announcement is made. The CAC is also interviewing a few interested candidates for the North Zone selector's position
- 20:19 (IST)Coach Appointment Live: What Happened in the interview?"Yes, Gambhir appeared for the interview with the CAC. One round of discussions happened today. There is another round expected tomorrow," a BCCI source told PTI. "Raman was interviewed after Gambhir. It was also on zoom. He also gave his presentation on his vision and road map on Indian cricket. The interview went for around 40 minutes. There were some initial questions by the committee before they looked at the presentation," the source informed.
- 20:00 (IST)Coach Appointment Live: What Gambhir Said On Becoming India Coach
#WATCH | Abu Dhabi, UAE: "...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 more across the globe as well and when you represent India, how can it get bigger than that? It is not me... pic.twitter.com/vWHJSXLyY0
— ANI (@ANI) June 2, 2024 - 19:37 (IST)India Coach Interview Live: Gambhir's 'demands'Earlier, a report by news agency IANS had claimed that BCCI has agreed to several demands from Gambhir. It included full command on the team, separate teams for white-ball and red-ball. The BCCI officially invited applications for the India head coach's post with May 27 set as the deadline. As per the job description, the new India men's head coach would be for all three formats from July 2024 till December 2027.
- 19:06 (IST)Coach Appointment Live: Who is the Overseas star?If indeed an overseas star will be interviewed for the coach's job, it will be interesting to see who that is. Earlier, Delhi Capitals coach Ricky Ponting had said an 'approach'"...there were a few little one-on-one conversations during the IPL, just to get a level of interest from me as to whether I would do it," Ponting told the ICC. "I'd love to be a senior coach of a national team, but with the other things that I have in my life and wanting to have a bit of time at home...everyone knows if you take a job working with the Indian team, you can't be involved in an IPL team, so it would take that out of it as well.
- 18:51 (IST)India Coach Interview Live: What Jay Shah said"Neither I nor the BCCI have approached any former Australian cricketer with a coaching offer. The reports circulating in certain media sections are completely incorrect. Finding the right coach for our national team is a meticulous and thorough process. We are focused on identifying individuals who possess a deep understanding of the Indian cricket structure and have risen through the ranks. It's crucial that our coach has an in-depth knowledge of our domestic cricket framework to truly elevate Team India to the next level," Shah had said.
- 18:48 (IST)India Coach Appointment Live: Overseas star in fray?Some more interesting updates are coming. If the news18 report is true, then an overseas will also be interviewed for the Indian cricket coach's post on Wednesday. However, BCCI secretary Jay Shah had clearly mentioned that the next India head coach will be someone, who understands Indian cricket from the grassroot level.
- 18:36 (IST)India Coach Interview Live: BCCI impressed with new candidate!The report further stated that WV Raman's presentation was very thorough and liked by the CAC. “Gambhir had a virtual interview but Raman’s presentation was very impressive and detailed. The CAC is likely to interview an overseas candidate tomorrow. Gambhir has the edge but Raman’s presentation was very thorough,” the report quoted a BCCI official.
- 18:21 (IST)BCCI interview Live: Gambhir not the only candidate!BIG Breaking! However, according to a report in the News18, Gautam Gambhir was not the only candidate who was interviewed by BCCI on Tuesday. Along with Gambhir, former India star WV Raman was also interview. The report said that an overseas star will also be interviewed on Wednesday.
Topics mentioned in this article
Gautam Gambhir
India Cricket Team
Kolkata Knight Riders
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