Ashish Nehra To Gautam Gambhir: 5 Players Who Can Replace Rahul Dravid As India's Head Coach

Rahul Dravid is the head coach of the Indian men’s cricket team these days, but under his mentorship, Team India has failed to produce the desired results. There were high hopes from the side in the T20 World Cup last year, where they entered as the world’s top-ranked team, but they could only manage to reach the semifinals, and then in the World Test Championship 2023 final as well, they failed to win the title after going down by 209 runs against Australia. India’s failure to win two back-to-back ICC titles has now put pressure on Dravid, whose position as head coach is under scrutiny.

While he is expected to remain as the head coach of the Indian team until the ODI World Cup 2023, there could be a possibility that he might be removed from his position as well in the aftermath of India’s disastrous show. If the former Indian captain, who assumed the responsibility in November 2021 after Ravi Shastri’s tenure came to an end, many high-profile candidates will be in line for the job next. Here’s a look at five such players who can become India’s next head coach after Dravid:

Ashish Nehra: Ashish Nehra is the current head coach of the Gujarat Titans in the IPL, and in his two years in charge, he has helped them reach the IPL final twice. In 2022, under his mentorship, GT won the IPL title in its first attempt, and he became the first and only Indian till date to win an IPL trophy as head coach. He will be among the favourites to become the next head coach, and if the board decides to go for split coaching like England, then there is no better candidate than him at the moment.

Justin Langer: Justin Langer has won the 2021 T20 World Cup and the 2021–22 Ashes as head coach of the Australian senior men’s cricket team but is out of work these days. With his no-nonsense approach, Langer, who is a legend of the game himself, might be a tough taskmaster but can be an ideal fit for the big role.

Stephen Fleming: Former New Zealand skipper and opening batter Stephen Fleming has been the head coach of MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings for more than a decade now and is the only player who has managed to win five IPL trophies as a head coach. He is a proven mentor and could do wonders if appointed to the role of India’s head coach.

Gautam Gambhir: Gautam Gambhir, who is one of the greatest opening batters world cricket has ever seen, is a mentor of the Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL. He doesn't have experience as a head coach like many others do, but with his game awareness and approach, he can be a perfect fit.

Ricky Ponting: Ricky Ponting has won the highest number of ICC titles as a player, and as a head coach, he has enjoyed a fair bit of success with Mumbai Indians (won IPL title in 2015) and Delhi Capitals (helped them reach the IPL final for the first time in 2020). He is likely to leave his role as DC’s head coach and will thus be available to take up the India job if it comes his way.