Virat Kohli's childhood coach snubs Gautam Gambhir, wants MS Dhoni to become next Indian coach

Gautam Gambhir seems to be the front-runner to be India’s next coach, but Virat Kohli’s childhood coach feels that MS Dhoni is the best man for the role.

While the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has reportedly zeroed in on Gautam Gambhir to be the next head coach of the Indian senior men’s cricket team, Virat Kohli’s childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma opined that MS Dhoni is the ideal candidate for the role.

The contract of Rahul Dravid will come to an end next month after the ICC T20 World Cup and he has reportedly told the BCCI that he won’t seek an extension. Earlier this month, the board invited applications for the position of head coach.

After some foreign names were floated around in the media, the BCCI secretary Jay Shah quashed those rumours by confirming that the board hasn’t approached any Australian ex-cricketer for the role. Shah also hinted that BCCI is likely to go for an Indian for the coach’s job.

Virat Kohli’s childhood coach picks MS Dhoni over Gautam Gambhir for India head coach role

The BCCI is keen to get Gambhir on board. Their belief in Gambhir would have been strengthened after the former India opener mentored Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 trophy last Sunday.

However, Rajkumar Sharma, who is a Dronacharya award winner, reckons former India skipper MS Dhoni would be the apt fit for the role as he has led India and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to multiple trophies.

Speaking with India News, Rajkumar said, “First of all, it will be interesting to see which names apply for this post. I would like that whoever becomes the coach should be an Indian. If Mahendra Singh Dhoni announces retirement, he can prove to be a good option. He (Dhoni) has played a lot of cricket and has won big tournaments.”

Sharma pointed at Dhoni’s man-managing skills, something that was highlighted brilliantly during the early years of his captaincy career when he had to lead several Indian superstars.

“Dhoni will have more respect in the dressing room and he has played this format for a long time. Being able to plan for the team and manage it properly, is most needed in the team because when Dhoni became the captain, there were big players in that team like Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Harbhajan Singh, Anil Kumble, Gautam Gambhir, and Yuvraj Singh were present. Despite this, Dhoni handled the team brilliantly,” Sharma asserted.

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