BCCI may sign Gautam Gambhir and WV Raman as coaches: Prior to this past Monday, Gautam Gambhir, a former cricket player for India, was not only the favorite to succeed Rahul Dravid as head coach of the Indian men’s cricket team, but he was also the only other Indian candidate. There were strong indications in rumors that BCCI and Gambhir had already struck an agreement. An official announcement is anticipated later this month, once India’s 2024 T20 World Cup campaign comes to a close. However, the highly skilled WV Raman, who was also interviewed on Tuesday by the BCCI’s Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), presented the former India opener with a new opponent.
Raman brings a wealth of coaching expertise to the table, having played in 28 international matches. Compared to Gambhir, who has only served as a mentor for two IPL teams over the past three seasons—of which, Kolkata Knight Riders, went on to win the trophy—he has significantly more coaching experience.
Following his retirement from the game, Raman worked as a domestic coach for Bengal and Tamil Nadu before joining the IPL in 2013 and taking on the roles of batting coach for KKR and assistant coach for the Punjab team. From 2018 to 2021, he served as the Indian women’s cricket team’s head coach. Not to be forgotten, prior to their reunion at the KKR camp in 2014—the year they had won their second IPL trophy—Gambihir had asked Raman for assistance in regaining his form in 2013.
Given Raman’s background and his impressive head coach interview on Wednesday, a new report in News18 said that BCCI would hire both candidates.
“The Indian Cricket Board ought to consider hiring both Raman and Gambhir. There are many methods to achieve that, such as assigning Raman to be the batting coach and Gambhir to be the head coach, or giving Raman more control over red ball operations. A insider keeping track of developments told the outlet, “There are many ways to use them because both can benefit Indian cricket and that’s what one should look at.”
The decision of who to choose between Gambhir and Raman would present a significant challenge for the members of the CAC, which are Ashok Malhotra, Jatin Paranjape, and Sulakshana Naik. The story went on to say that although there were rumors that an international applicant would also be interviewed for the position, this hasn’t happened yet, therefore the two Indian candidates are still in the running.
