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Amid all the action in IPL 2024, it has come to light that Rahul Dravid will no longer continue as team India's head coach after the T20 World Cup 2024.
Accordingly, the BCCI has invited applications for the position of head coach of the Indian men's team.
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While Rahul Dravid and his predecessor, Ravi Shastri had a decent outing with the Indian team, it would not be a bad to have an overseas coach for the Indian team. The likes of John Wright and Gary Kirsten have tasted success with the Indian team in the past and the BCCI could look to appoint a foreign coach going forward.
On that note, here is a look at five overseas coaches who could replace Rahul Dravid as Team India's men's head coach:
#1 Stephen Fleming
The former Kiwi skipper, Stephen Fleming has been the head coach of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) since 2009. During his tenure as a coach, CSK has won five IPL titles and two Champions League trophies.
Fleming has worked closely with young Indian players for more than a decade and brings out the best in the players. The likes of Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Suresh Raina, Murali Vijay, and Deepak Chahar to name a few were groomed early on in their careers under the guidance of Fleming.
The 52-year-old is one of the top contenders to succeed Dravid as Team India's head coach and could be the guiding force for India to end their ICC trophy drought.
#2 Justin Langer
The former Australian opener, Justin Langer, has coached Australia with success for a period of four years i.e. from 2018 to 2022.
It was a difficult time for Australia in 2018 after the ball-tampering Incident. However, Langer was instrumental in guiding Australia to a position where they clinched three ICC titles recently (T20 World Cup 2021, ICC Test Championship 2021-2023 and ICC World Cup 2023). He formed a close-knit unit of Australian players who enjoyed each other's success and got the team back to winning ways.
Langer has also been closely associated as the head coach of Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for the past two seasons and worked closely with young Indian talent.
Post LSG's last game against MI in IPL 2024 at the Wankhede Stadium, Langer addressed in a press conference and said:
"It would almost be the biggest job in cricket being the head coach of the Indian cricket team because of the huge volume of cricket, the huge expectation. It would be a great challenge, it would be great fun. It would be a wonderful opportunity to win ICC titles, but with all these things, the timing has gotta be right."
#3 Andy Flower
The former Zimbabwe skipper, Andy Flower could be one of the dark horses for the role of Indian team head coach.
Flower tasted success with the England team whom he coached for a period of five years i.e. from 2009 to 2014. During his tenure, the team won the ICC T20 World Cup 2010. England won three Ashes series under Flower's tenure including the 2010-2011 Ashes Down Under. He also guided England to the numero uno position in Test cricket.
The former keeper-batter has acted as a consultant with the Australian men's team in the recent past.
Flower coached LSG in 2022 and has been the head coach of RCB since 2023. Certainly, he could give the other contenders a run for their money for becoming the next Indian coach.
#4 Ricky Ponting
The former Australian skipper, Ricky Ponting could be the surprise package as the coach of the Indian team.
He has been working as an assistant coach/ interim coach of the Australian team on numerous occasions. As far as the IPL is concerned, Ponting was associated with Mumbai Indians as a coach from 2014-2016 and the team won the coveted trophy in 2015 under his able guidance.
He is currently the head coach of the Delhi Capitals franchise and is also the head coach of the Washington Freedom in Major League Cricket.
Punter, as he is popularly known, has been associated with coaching for more than a decade and team India would benefit immensely if Ponting succeded Dravid as the next coach of Team India.
#5 Mahela Jayawardene
The former Sri Lankan skipper, Mahela Jayawardene has coached Mumbai Indians to triumph in three IPL seasons i.e. 2017, 2019 and 2020. He has worked closely with young Indian players during his stint with Mumbai Indians and has a good rapport with the players.
Presently, Jayawardene is the Global Head of Performance of the MI franchise and also coached the Southern Brave team in The Hundred. He has also acted as a consultant for Sri Lanka during ICC events.
It will be interesting to see if Jayawardene outruns the other contenders and becomes the first Sri Lankan player to become India's head coach.
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