The competition is on to become the next head coach of India’s men’s cricket team. When Rahul Dravid steps down following the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup, one well-known figure—MS Dhoni—is ineligible to take over as coach. The cause? The applicant must be retired from all forms of competitive play.
Dhoni cannot be chosen as the head coach because he is currently playing in the Indian Premier League with the Chennai Super Kings, even though he has already retired from international cricket way back in 2020.
As the most well-known cricket player in India, Dhoni received a good deal of support on social media for his appointment as Team India’s new coach. This does not, however, rule out Dhoni’s possible participation with the squad. It’s crucial to keep in mind that he served as a mentor to the Indian team at the UAE-hosted 2021 T20 World Cup. India has failed miserably in the group rounds that previous time.
Given his current form and lack of signs of retirement, it is also unlikely that Dhoni will do so after the 2024 IPL. In 11 innings this year, he was only dismissed three times while scoring at a strike rate of over 220.
On Monday, the application period for the head coach vacancy in India concluded. The BCCI has made a Google form available for candidates to apply. Over 3,000 applications were submitted. Amit Shah, the home minister, Sachin Tendulkar, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s names appeared on a large number of phony applications, according to the Indian Express.
Kolkata Knight Riders coach Gautam Gambhir has been mentioned as a possible candidate after winning the IPL for the third time recently. The gossip mill has also mentioned the names of Stephen Fleming and Ricky Ponting. The final list of nominees has not yet been made public by the BCCI, though.
