The process to appoint the head coach of India’s men’s cricket team is set to commence next week, confirmed Jay Shah, the Secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
Shah mentioned that the current head coach, Rahul Dravid, can reapply for the position if he wishes to extend his tenure. “We will call for applications in the next few days. Rahul Dravid’s tenure is coming to an end in June. If he wants to reapply, he can,” Shah stated during an interaction at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai. He added that decisions regarding other coaching staff positions, such as batting, bowling, and fielding coaches, will be made after consultation with the new head coach.
Dravid received a short-term extension until the T20 World Cup after his two-year contract expired following India’s loss in the final of the ODI World Cup last November. Shah also confirmed that the new head coach will be offered the opportunity to lead the team until the ODI World Cup in 2027.
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Regarding the possibility of appointing a foreign coach, Shah left the issue open-ended, suggesting that the board may not consider different coaches for different formats, a system adopted by other cricket boards.
“We are looking for a long-term coach for three years. Whether the new coach will be Indian or foreign will be decided by the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC). There are many all-format players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Rishabh Pant, among others. Moreover, such a situation is unprecedented in India,” Shah stated.
The three-member Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) will finalize the appointment of a national selector, with interviews already underway.
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Additionally, Shah emphasized the importance of red-ball cricket, leaving it to individual state associations to decide whether to increase payments to domestic players. He also revealed that Hardik Pandya, who received an A grade in Central Contracts, has agreed to participate in domestic white-ball cricket.
Shah announced that the structure of the domestic cricket league will be unveiled soon, and the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru’s High-Performance Centre will open in August.
Regarding the Impact Player rule introduced in the 2023 IPL, Shah stated, “The Impact Player rule was introduced as a test case. It provides additional playing opportunities to two more Indian players in every match.” He added that consultations with franchise captains, players, franchises, and broadcasters will determine the rule’s future.
Addressing speculation about replacing Greg Barclay as the International Cricket Council (ICC) chair later this year, Shah said, “Let there be speculation. Let me be here in the BCCI. Am I not doing a good job as BCCI secretary?” he concluded.
