'Lost World Cup final' - BCCI sent a reminder as Gautam Gambhir emerges as front-runner to replace Rahul Dravid as head coach

Former India National Cricket Team pacer RP Singh has sent a crucial reminder to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) as they hunt a new head coach to replace Rahul Dravid amid the reports of Gautam Gambhir emerging as the front-runner for the top job in the Indian cricket.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) recently invited applications for the head coach role of the Indian team and the deadline to submit the applications has already ended. The BCCI has received a lot of applications and reportedly they are in no mood to finalize things quickly and are expected to take their time before making any decision.

The tenure of the current Indian head coach Rahul Dravid, who took over from Ravi Shastri, ended after the ICC ODI World Cup 2023, and his contract was extended till the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024. Reportedly, he has shown no interest in continuing his role, and the National Cricket Academy head VVS Laxman, who was touted as the next in line for the top job, has also shown no interest in becoming the head coach of the team.

The names of Stephen Fleming, Ricky Ponting, and Justin Langer were thrown around but the Australians have shown their disinterest while BCCI secretary Jay Shah recently made it clear that they are looking for someone with a deep understanding of the Indian cricket structure, hence, ruling Fleming out of the race.

Currently, the Kolkata Knight Riders mentor Gautam Gambhir is leading the race to become head coach of the Indian team, but once he takes that role, he will have to end his commitments in the Indian Premier League with the 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 served as the mentor of Lucknow Super Giants for two seasons.

Rahul Dravid did an excellent job as coach - RP Singh 

Speaking at the jersey launch of India Champions in the World Championship of Legends, RP Singh gave a crucial suggestion to BCCI about roping in an Indian coach. He highlighted how well Team India performed under Rahul Dravid 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 option to take up the job.

"I certainly think we should have an Indian coach. Rahul Dravid did an excellent job as coach. He did very well as coach. Yes, we lost the World Cup final, but he has had a huge impact on the team and the players as India coach. Gautam Gambhir’s name is being thrown around, I think he is a very good option for the team," said Singh, as quoted by India Today.

During the same interaction, RP Singh stated that Arshdeep Singh should partner Jasprit Bumrah at 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 death bowler. Siraj is third in my list, but he can be lethal with the new ball," said Singh.

India National Cricket Team will play a warm-up game against Bangladesh National Cricket Team at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York on June 1.