May 30 (Punjab Khabarnama) : As speculations about the next head coach of Team India are rife, former BCCI president Sourav Ganguly passed on an indirect message to the board, advising the officials to “choose the coach wisely”. Ganguly’s comments on X come at a time when former India opener and current Kolkata Knight Riders mentor Gautam Gambhir has emerged as the frontrunner to replace Rahul Dravid as the head coach of India after the T20 World Cup.
Ganguly highlighted the significance of a good coach. “The coach’s significance in one’s life, their guidance, and relentless training shape the future of any person, both on and off the field. So choose the coach and institution wisely…” the former India captain wrote on X.
Ganguly’s tweet sparked a wide range of reactions from netizens. Some believed the former batter remembered his tough times under Greg Chappell during his playing days, while many others questioned whether Ganguly was against the possible appointment of Gambhir.
Ganguly, the then-captain of India, was instrumental in bringing in former Australian batter Chappell as India’s head coach after John Wright’s contract ended. Chappell and Ganguly struck a bond during India’s tour of Australia in 2003-04, during which Chappell reportedly worked with the left-hander to help him succeed on bouncy Australian tracks.
However, the relationship between Ganguly and Chappell strained quickly. The differences grew so much that Ganguly was sacked as captain and dropped from the team after after the coach’s email for BCCI reportedly got leaked.
Ganguly did make a comeback in 2006, but his relationship with Chappell was never the same. Slowly, even other seniors of the side opened up against the Australian’s coaching style. He was sacked after India’s exit from the group stage in the 2007 ODI World Cup.
There are no noted differences between Ganguly and Gambhir. The two have made public appearances many times, even off the field. But Gambhir replaced Gangily as the KKR captain after the former failed to win the IPL for Kolkata in the first three editions. The opener delivered two trophies in the first three seasons as captain of KKR, and in one of those editions, the Eden Gardens crowd was divided during a Sahara Pune Warriors and KKR IPL match. Ganguly was the captain of Pune in IPL 2012.
No confirmation has been made about the applicants for India’s head coach role. According to the latest reports, no noted foreign names applied for the job before the May 27 deadline.
