BCCI Updates 2024: No Approaches to Former Australian Cricketers for India Coaching Job
BCCI Secretary Jay Shah, in a recent statement, dismissed rumors suggesting the board’s outreach to former Australian cricketers for the coveted position of India’s head coach.
“We are focused on identifying individuals who possess a deep understanding of the Indian cricket structure and have risen through the ranks”
Claims that the board had sought any former Australian cricket players to be India’s next head coach were refuted by BCCI secretary Jay Shah on Friday. By stating that the new player ought to have a “deep understanding” of the rules of the game in India, he made a suggestion that Rahul Dravid’s replacement might be an Indian.
Although Dravid has informed the BCCI that he is not interested in taking on a third assignment, former Australian players Justin Langer and Ricky Ponting have stated that they have received rejections for the prominent role.
In a statement, Shah claimed, “Neither the BCCI nor I have approached any former Australian cricketer with a coaching offer.” “The reports circulating in certain media sections are completely incorrect.”
Ponting and Langer are both head coaches of the Delhi Capitals and Lucknow Super Giants, respectively, in the Indian Premier League. The BCCI is reaching out to potential candidates for the position, including Chennai Super Kings head coach Stephen Fleming and current mentor Gautam Gambhir of the Kolkata Knight Riders.
“Finding the right coach for our national team is a meticulous and thorough process,” Shah stated. “We are focused on identifying individuals who possess a deep understanding of the Indian cricket structure and have risen through the ranks.”
A thorough understanding of Indian domestic cricket will be a crucial requirement for selecting the next coach, the secretary of the BCCI added. The agreement, he said, will be necessary to “truly elevate Team India to the next level.”
Ponting claimed on Thursday that he was asked to assume the position but turned it down because it did not fit into his “lifestyle” at the time.
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According to Ponting, “I’ve seen a lot of reports about it,” the ICC Review said. “Normally these things pop up on social media before you even know about them, but 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.”
“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.”
Although Ponting stated his family seems prepared for it, taking on the role of coach for India also means spending ten to eleven months away from home.
“…I had a whisper to my son about it, and I said, ‘Dad’s been offered the Indian coaching job’ and he said, ‘Just take it, dad, we would love to move over there for the next couple of years'” , Ponting recalled. “That’s how much they love being over there and the culture of cricket in India, but right now it probably doesn’t exactly fit into my lifestyle.”
After the LSG and Mumbai Indians IPL match, Langer, who had been unsure about applying for an India coaching position, declared he would “never say never” but also disclosed that he had received important advice from LSG captain KL Rahul.
“That sounds like a fantastic job. On BBC’s Stumped Podcast, Langer stated, “I also know that it’s an all-encompassing role, and having done it for four years with the Australian team, honestly, it’s exhausting.” That’s what the Australians do. You never assert that something cannot happen. Additionally, the pressure to complete it in India “You know, if you think there’s pressure and politics in an IPL team, multiply that by a thousand, (that is) coaching India,” KL Rahul stated to me during our conversation. I suppose that was a wise piece of advise.
“It would be an awesome job, but not for me at the moment.”
According to Shah, being the head coach of India is the “most prestigious job” in international cricket and requires a high degree of professionalism.
“When we talk about international cricket, no role is more prestigious than that of the head coach of the Indian cricket team,” he stated. “Team India has the most fans in the world, with support that is just unmatched. This is one of the most profitable occupations in the world because of our long history and love of the game.
“The position requires a high degree of professionalism because it involves developing some of the world’s greatest cricket players and managing a skilled player assembly line. Serving a billion fans’ dreams is an enormous honor, and the BCCI will select the best applicant who can advance Indian cricket.”
