New Delhi: Former India opener Gautam Gambhir found a fresh rival for the post of the Team India head coach after it was learnt that WV Raman was also interviewed for the position. Gambhir looked set to be appointed unopposed amid reports that he was the only shortlisted candidate on the list of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). However, the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) also interviewed Raman for the post on Tuesday.
Gambhir remains the favourite to take over the reins from current India head coach Rahul Dravid after guiding Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to a memorable title triumph in IPL 2024 as a mentor. However, Raman’s presentation was reportedly more detailed and left the CAC panel impressed on Tuesday. While te head coach race is now a two-way battle, there is a strong possibility of Gambhir and Raman both being part of India’s backroom staff.
As per a report in News18, Gambhir and Raman working together in different capacities in the Indian team’s backroom staff cannot be ruled out. Raman, an accomplished coach, shares a long-standing relationship with Gambhir. The former Indian women’s team head coach had helped Gambhir regain his form when the ex-India opener was going through a rough patch in 2013.
Raman later joined the Kolkata Knight Riders franchise ahead of IPL 2014 as a batting coach and worked alongside Gambhir, who was leading the team at the time. KKR went on to win their second IPL title in 2014. Besides his stint in the IPL, Raman has coached the likes of Tamil Nadu and Bengal in the Indian domestic circuit and has also worked as a batting coach at the National Cricket Academy (NCA).
‘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,” a source in the know-how of things was quoted as saying by News18.
“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,” added the source.
Why WV Raman can be a good appointment?
Raman has a plethora of experience behind his back as a coach having enjoyed multiple stints in the IPL and the Indian domestic circuit. He is known as an astute reader of the game and someone who has nurtured young guns in Indian cricket for quite some time now. He also shares a good relationship with Gambhir and can work in tandem with the potential head coach.
Unlike Gambhir, Raman comes with professional coaching experience. Gambhir might have worked as a mentor for three seasons with two IPL franchises but has never served as the head coach of any team at any level in the game.
The final decision on Raman’s addition to the Indian backroom staff will be of Gambhir himself. As witnessed in the past, the head coach gets to call the shots when it comes to picking the support staff. Gambhir has already asked the BCCI to allow him to have his own team of support staff in his new role and it will be interesting to see if Raman will be part of his plans.
Gautam Gambhir and WV Raman were both interviewed for the post of the head coach of the Indian cricket team on Tuesday. However, reportedly both of them can be part of the team’s backroom staff in different capacities. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
