Lalchand Rajput supports Gautam Gambhir as head coach

Nevertheless, recent rumours suggest that Kolkata Knight Riders coach Gautam Gambhir has emerged as the front-runner for the esteemed position. Lalchand Rajput, the former Indian coach who led Team India from 2007 to 2008, also commended Gambhir, calling him a pragmatist and a cunning strategist. Gambhir’s successful stay with the Kolkata Knight Riders as both captain and mentor demonstrated his acute awareness of the nuances of the game, which Rajput emphasised.

Since Rahul Dravid, a former captain of India, has a contract that will expire after the T20 World Cup in 2024, there has been discussion about who will take over as head coach. Last month, the BCCI issued a call for applications for the head coach position, with a deadline of May 27. There have been a number of well-known applicants for the job, including Stephen Fleming, Justin Langer, and Ricky Ponting.

“Gautam Gambhir is a straight-talking guy who has learned the hard way to play cricket. He understands the game well, and KKR (Kolkata Knight Riders) has seen that as well,” Lalchand Rajput said, according to News18.

Rajput reinforced his position by citing Gambhir’s KKR campaign, which he led after being reappointed as a mentor this year. In order to demonstrate the enormous contribution Gambhir made to KKR’s achievement, he drew attention to the striking difference between their 2023 and most recent campaigns. Rajput characterised Gambhir as a clever tactician who knows how to develop and execute schemes.

Rajput concluded by saying that, given his vast expertise, he believed that Gambhir—a two-time World Cup winner—would be a deserving contender for the prominent position. Nonetheless, he conceded that the BCCI held the ultimate say on the matter.

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“KKR was the same team as the previous season, and you can clearly see his impact this year. In addition, he is a cunning tactician. He has two World Cup victories under his belt as a player, which will undoubtedly contribute to his experience. Although BCCI has the last say over who they want, he is a good candidate. “He’ll be the ideal choice to lead Indian cricket,” Rajput continued.

It is quite likely that the BCCI will make an announcement without following the traditional procedure of having the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) interview prospective candidates, given that Gambhir has expressed his desire to coach the national team.