Gautam Gambhir is strongly rumored to be the next head coach of the Indian men’s cricket team. As Rahul Dravid’s contract is ending after the current T20 World Cup, multiple reports say Gambhir was the only person who applied for the position. Last week, the former Indian opener was interviewed by the BCCI’s Cricket Advisory Committee, where he shared some of his requests with the board.
Navbharat Times has reported that when Gambhir talked to the CAC, he set five conditions to agree to BCCI’s offer.
Gambhir insisted on having complete control over the team’s cricket activities, with no interruptions from the board.
Also, the two-time World Cup champion wants to choose his own team helpers, like batting, fielding, and bowling coaches.
Third, and very importantly, the 2025 Champions Trophy in Pakistan might be the final chance for four older players — Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, and Mohammad Shami.
If these players can’t help India win the tournament, they will be removed from the team. But it wasn’t said if they would be taken out of all three types of cricket.
For the fourth condition, there will be a different team for Test cricket.
Finally, Gambhir will begin planning for the 2027 ODI World Cup right away.
It’s clear that if the four older players — Virat, Rohit, Jadeja, and Shami — don’t do well in the 2025 Champions Trophy, they will be removed from the team. But we still don’t know if they will keep playing Test cricket.
Kohli and Rohit’s positions in the team are already unclear, and since Gambhir might become the head coach of India, it might not be surprising if the two experienced players are not chosen for the team.
Also, it’s important to remember that India might play in the World Test Championship final next year. If India doesn’t win the Test championship this time, there’s a chance that Kohli and Rohit could be left out of the team.
India has lost the last two World Test Championship finals, first to New Zealand in 2021 and then to Australia in 2023.
