VVS Laxman to be India's interim coach for Zimbabwe tour before Gautam Gambhir takes over full-time head coach role - Reports

Gautam Gambhir is expected to take charge in July with the Sri Lanka tour.

It is all but confirmed that Gautam Gambhir will be the next head coach of the senior Indian men’s cricket team; only an official confirmation from the BCCI is awaited.

The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) mentor will be replacing Rahul Dravid, whose tenure as the head coach will end at conclusion of the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2024 in the West Indies and the USA.

Earlier this month, Gambhir was interviewed by the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), which comprises of Ashok Malhotra, Jatin Paranjpe and Sulakshana Naik. It is believed that both parties have agreed to each other’s terms – the BCCI is set to give Gambhir a free hand to choose his coaching staff – and the board is expected to make the announcement in the coming days.

Gautam Gambhir to begin his tenure with the Sri Lanka tour; VVS Laxman to be interim coach for the Zimbabwe tour

Just over a week after the completion of the T20 World Cup, India will play a five-match T20I series in Zimbabwe. However, Gambhir won’t take charge of the national side immediately. Instead, according to a report in PTI, VVS Laxman, who is the chief at the National Cricket Academy (NCA), will be the interim coach.

The five T20Is in Zimbabwe will be played from July 6 to 14. A second-string side will be sent to Zimbabwe with either Hardik Pandya or Suryakumar Yadav to lead them.

“There is a possibility that Laxman along with some NCA coaches will travel with the new-look squad to Zimbabwe. Laxman and the NCA team have always filled up whenever Rahul Dravid and the first team coaches have taken periodic breaks during their stints,” a BCCI source told PTI.

Gambhir will kickoff his tenure as the India head coach with the tour of Sri Lanka. India are scheduled to play three ODIs and as many T20Is in Sri Lanka from July 27.

From September 19, the Indian home season will begin with two tests and three T20Is against Bangladesh, followed by three tests against New Zealand. In November, India will tour Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

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