Recently, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) initiated a call for applications to fill the position of head coach for the senior national men’s cricket team. As Rahul Dravid‘s tenure draws to a close in June 2024, the board is actively scouting for qualified individuals to take on this role, which entails a term of 3.5 years.
Following remarks by BCCI Secretary Jay Shah indicating the board’s openness to considering foreign candidates, speculation has been rife regarding potential contenders for the position.
Rumours have also surrounded Justin Langer‘s potential candidacy for the coaching role, but he recently issued a statement regarding his stance on the matter.
Justin Langer’s stand on the head coach role
Langer described the job as remarkable, yet he declined it, citing the immense pressure involved. Having already served in a similar role for Australia for four years, Langer expressed his reservations. Additionally, he mentioned receiving advice from KL Rahul, who cautioned against accepting the offer from BCCI due to the significantly higher levels of pressure and politics within the national team compared to IPL franchises.
A few days ago, former Australian captain Ricky Ponting revealed that he, too, turned down an offer from BCCI due to personal reasons. Ponting stated that he was not prepared to take on the role at the current moment.
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Jay Shah’s clarification on the issue
The day following Langer’s disclosure of declining an offer to coach the Indian men’s cricket team, prompted by individuals within the BCCI, the board secretary Shah made it clear that the BCCI had not approached any former Australian cricketer with a coaching proposition.
“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,” said the BCCI secretary in a statement.