BCCI secretary Jay Shah has firmly stated that the Indian cricket board has not made any overtures to any former Australian cricketer regarding the position of India's head coach. This declaration follows comments from former Australia batsman Ricky Ponting, who mentioned having informal discussions during IPL 2024 to assess his potential interest in the role.
I've seen a lot of reports about it…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 was quoted as saying by ICC on Thursday.
“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." the former Aussie skipper added.
In a statement about the issue, 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." the BCCI top executive added.
Apart from Ponting, another former Aussie batter Justin Langer had ruled himself out of the India head coach race on Thursday. Langer stated that he made the decision after consulting with LSG skipper KL Rahul. The pressure of doing it in India… I was talking to KL Rahul and he said, 'You know, if you think there's pressure and politics in an IPL team, multiply that by a thousand, [that's] coaching India. That was a good bit of advice, I guess. It would be an awesome job, but not for me at the moment," the former Aussie coach added.
The position of India’s coach, currently occupied by Rahul Dravid, will become vacant after the T20 World Cup in June. The BCCI is searching for a successor to fill the role until the next 50-over World Cup in 2027.
