Former India cricket team opener Gautam Gambhir is reportedly leading the race to replace Rahul Dravid as the new head coach of the men’s national side. Gambhir gave his interview to the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) on Tuesday, and another round is reportedly set to be held on Wednesday. As the cricket world waits for the official announcement, it’s being said that Gambhir is the overwhelming favourite for the job. With the Kolkata Knight Riders mentor looking set for the job, former India opener Aakash Chopra has fired a warning to ageing India stars like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Mohammed Shami and Ravindra Jadeja.
“Gautam Gambhir has given the interview. It’s been said that it was a virtual interview as opposed to WV Raman, who gave a fantastic presentation. I have just read that. Gautam Gambhir is the frontrunner in this race. It’s been said everywhere and we have also understood that,” Chopra said in a video on his YouTube channel.
“I am saying it will be an interesting tenure because you will have to manage the transition here, and that is never an easy thing. Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Mohammed Shami, maybe Ravindra Jadeja, especially their roles in T20s, there are plenty of people who are on the wrong side of 30, 35 to 37, including Ravichandran Ashwin,” he added.
Gambhir’s contract, if awarded, will run until the conclusion of the 2027 ODI World Cup. In this period, many current superstars of the team will be closer to 40s than to 30s. Hence, Chopra feels some big calls could be taken as the roadmap for the future is prepared.
“In the next three to four years, when the 2027 World Cup comes, you have to prepare your team for that. There will also be a WTC in 2027 and a T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka in 2026. So a very important roadmap will have to be prepared,” he said.
“It’s not going to be easy because it’s said that transitions are most difficult. A very important job is to not let performances drop when transitions are happening. Secondly, transitions happen properly when you communicate well because you need to explain the reasons to players who are being retained and let go of,” Chopra asserted.
