Mumbai: With Duncan Fletcher's exit following India’s World Cup exit Down Under, the doors are opened for a new coach to take over the duties to manage the Indian cricket team after the ongoing Indian Premier League. While Sourav Ganguly’s name is doing the rounds as the possible replacement for Duncan Fletcher, here are some other contenders that have the credentials to take up the top job in Indian cricket.
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Jason Gillespie
While Jason Gillepsie did not always enjoy the fan following and adulation the likes of Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne and Brett Lee had, the curly right-hand speedster played his part to the T. Gillespie has currently taken over the duties to coach Adelaide Strikers, and is considered to replace Peter Morres for top England job. The history of Australians coaching the Indian cricket team is not bright with Joe Dawes, Mike Young and Greg Chappell facing more brickbats.
However, Gillespie’s clarity of communication, sharp tactical brain and ability to hit it off with players has been highly rated by those at Yorkshire. Gillespie, who was appointed following Yorkshire’s relegation in 2011, had done a fabulous job of turning around Yorkshire’s future and powering them to win the 2014 County Championship.
My mate @GaleyLad and I. Very proud of him and the lads! #strongunit #teamwork #YCCC pic.twitter.com/z3UFUrCVri
— Jason Gillespie (@YCCCDizzy) September 12, 2014While his run at the job was top-notch, he managed to do so without ruffling many feathers; something that seems to be a perfect recipe to be successful as Indian cricket coach.
Stephen Fleming
Stephen Fleming was one of the frontrunners to coach India after Gary Kirsten left the job following India’s win at the World Cup in 2011. Despite having limited resources at his disposal, he did a phenomenal job leading the New Zealand side, who punched above its weight for a significant amount of time.
While the scenario is different; in terms of availability of resources; Stephen Fleming had proved his worth as a coach at Chennai Super Kings who had two IPL titles alongside 5 semifinal berths and 2 Champion League T20 trophies against their name.
(Photo: PTI)
The only concern with Fleming’s candidature will be his readiness (or lack of it) to take over the coach’s role; something that he refused to accept citing his need to spend time with his family in 2011.
Michael Hussey
While no official sources confirmed the development, it was reported that India’s World Cup winning skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni had recommended Michael Hussey’s name to coach Team India after it became clear that Fletcher would leave after the 2015 main event. Dhoni, who plays alongside Hussey, for the Chennai franchise in the IPL, was said to be impressed with the Australian cricketer’s attitude.
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‘Mr Cricket’ as Hussey is popularly known was not too sure about taking up the role then. However, with him offering guidance to the South African side during the recently concluded cricket World Cup, it won’t be a bad idea to check his availability and readiness to coach the Indian side.
Rahul Dravid
Runs, respect, experience and a sharp sense of the game; there would be hardly any criticism if Rahul Dravid joins Team India as a full-time coach. Dravid, who knows a thing or two about how to stay put when things are going wrong for the team, has proved his mettle as Rajasthan Royals’ coach and mentor.
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Although in comparison with Stephen Fleming and Jason Gillespie, Dravid has limited experience coaching a side, his ongoing innings as Rajasthan Royals’ mentor gives him a great chance to take over the job to coach Team India.
While he in the past, had appreciated Sunil Gavaskar’s suggestion to appoint him for the role, Dravid had not shown readiness to take up the full-time role following the retirement from the game. Now, if he is prepared to give it a shot, he should be a fantastic candidate for a much-discussed job in Indian cricket.
No new coach
While Sanjay Bangar, Bharath Arun and R Sridhar took some time to settle down in the job as assistant coaches under Duncan Fletcher, the trio had done a fine job as India reached the semifinals of the World Cup 2015 Down Under.
While Bangar did not have the status of a star when he played for India and in Ranji cricket, his knowledge of the domestic circuit and his ability along with his sharp insights on the game are praised by many.
Bharath Arun, who had coached India’s Under-19 team which won the World Cup under Unmukt Chand and now working as bowling coach for Royal Challengers Bangalore, had done his bit to improve India’s bowling performance after a rather unsuccessful run Joe Dawes had in the role. While Indian fielders dropped more than a handful of catches in the slips during India’s Test series loss in England, the fielding performance was much better Down Under during Tests, tri-series and the World Cup that followed.
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If BCCI decides to retain all three, it may not be too surprising if someone of the stature of Ganguly, Dravid or Kumble work as Team Director unless Ravi Shastri is still keen to play that role.
