Gambhir and Raman were interviewed for head coach but co-existence of both in the backroom, in different capacities, can’t be ruled out.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) interviewed both Gautam Gambhir and WV Raman on Tuesday for the head coach job. While Gambhir’s name was doing rounds as the frontrunner for the job for close to a month, Raman’s low-key entry, as first reported by CricketNext, has added a new dimension to what earlier looked like a very straightforward appointment.
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Former India batter Raman has a glittering coaching CV and his presentation during the head coach interview was very thorough and impressive. Gambhir remains the favourite to take over from Rahul Dravid as head coach but Raman’s involvement in the backroom can’t be ruled out yet. It’s the head coach who enjoys a lot of say in the appointment of the support staff and if Gambhir’s appointment goes through, he will be the one calling the shots – like his predecessors did.
Even if that happens, Raman could well be in the mix and there are numerous permutations and combinations which could be explored. Both the head coach candidates go back a long way as during his playing days (2013 season), Gambhir had sought Raman’s help to rediscover his mojo and they worked together for a substantial time before Raman joined Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) as the batting coach in 2014.
“The Indian cricket board must look at utilising the services of both Raman and Gambhir. There are numerous ways in which one can do that – say have Gambhir as head coach and Raman as batting coach or allow Raman to have more say in red ball. Lot of ways one can use them because both can benefit Indian cricket and that’s what one should look at,” says a source tracking developments.
While Gambhir has only mentored two IPL franchises in the past, Raman has had numerous coaching stints ranging from domestic sides to IPL teams to India women’s cricket team. Apart from this, Raman has been extensively involved in different capacities at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) and has seen the progress of youngsters currently in Team India from close quarters.
“Raman has seen these youngsters grow from close quarters when he filled in as coach during different U-19 and A series. He can be your right guy to handhold these players as the side is set to undergo a massive transition in the next couple of years. That is likely to begin in T20s after the World Cup and ODIs, Tests will witness that too in next 12-15 months,” adds the source.
It’s now up to the CAC featuring Ashok Malhotra, Jatin Paranjape and Sulakshana Naik, and it will be interesting to see what they recommend to the BCCI. There were strong indications of an overseas candidate in the mix and there was an interview likely on Wednesday but that hasn’t happened. As things stand, it’s only Raman and Gambhir who were interviewed for the head coach position.
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During the interviews, there was no discussion with regards to the remuneration for the head coach position and it’s something which will be decided by the BCCI top brass. A comprehensive round of discussion is likely to take place soon between the senior office bearers and the selected candidate.
“The discussion of salary and other things will happen between the selected candidate and BCCI officials after CAC has submitted its recommendation,” says a senior official.
Shortlisted Selectors Interviewed
It is understood that Ajay Ratra, Mithun Manhas and Reetinder Singh Sodhi were interviewed for the senior selector position on Wednesday. Ajay Mehra was also among the shortlisted candidates BCCI had informed on Tuesday but had told them that the final schedule will be confirmed later.
Manhas is very likely to replace Salil Ankola in the Ajit Agarkar-chaired men’s senior selection committee but the former domestic stalwart is likely to face stiff competition from Sodhi.
