"More pressure and politics," KL Rahul's advice to Justin Langer which made the latter not apply for India head coach job

Justin Langer has ruled himself out of India’s coaching job, citing crucial advice from KL Rahul.

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) coach Justin Langer has made an interesting revelation about a piece of advice that he received from KL Rahul, the LSG captain, on the pressure of being an India coach.

Langer was believed to be one of the contenders in sight of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) as the Indian cricket board is looking for the next men’s team head coach. Rahul Dravid’s tenure will come to an end at the conclusion of the T20 World Cup in June, and Dravid has reportedly told the board that he would not re-apply.

Earlier this month, the BCCI posted an invitation for the applications for the role. Apart from Gautam Gambhir, Langer, Ricky Ponting, and Stephen Fleming were considered to be candidates the board was reportedly eyeing. However, the three overseas names have turned down the thought of becoming India’s head coach right now.

Justin Langer reveals KL Rahul’s advice that made him not consider India’s head coach job

Justin Langer has said that Rahul gave him a caveat about the amount of pressure and politics an India head coach has to deal with. The words of the LSG captain were influential in the former Australia coach’s decision to step away from applying for the India coaching job.

Langer said on BBC’s Stumped Podcast, “You never say never. And the pressure of doing it in India… I was talking to KL Rahul and he said, ‘You know, if you think there’s pressure and politics in an IPL team, multiply that by a thousand, (that is) coaching India. That was a good bit of advice, I guess. It would be an awesome job, but not for me at the moment.”

Langer and Rahul worked together for the first time in the Indian Premier League (IPL) this year. LSG failed to reach the playoffs in IPL 2024, finishing seventh in the points table.

Meanwhile, BCCI secretary Jay Shah has denied reports of the board approaching any former Australian cricketers with an offer or seeking their interest. Shah, on the contrary, said that the BCCI is looking for someone who has “a deep understanding of the Indian cricket structure.”

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