Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting and former New Zealand skipper Stephen Fleming have emerged as the leading contenders to take over from Rahul Dravid as the head coach of the Indian men's cricket team.
Dravid and his support staff are set to conclude their current tenure after the T20 World Cup 2024 in June.
BCCI invites applications for coach's post
The Indian cricket board has already opened applications for potential candidates to vie for the prestigious position. It is believed that Ponting and Fleming are high on the BCCI's list of preferred candidates.
Both Ponting and Fleming are currently involved in coaching roles in the IPL 2024, with the Aussie coaching Delhi Capitals and the Kiwi guiding the Chennai Super Kings.
Should either of them be chosen, they would need to resign from their current positions to join the coaching staff of Team India, adhering to BCCI regulations. But reports also suggest that Fleming may not be too keen to join the Indian team camp.
Fleming & Ponting's coaching pedigrees
Fleming notably achieved remarkable success with CSK, guiding them to a record-equalling 5 IPL titles. He initially played for the franchise in the inaugural IPL 2008 before transitioning into the role of head coach the following year.
On the other hand, Ponting has experience both as a player and a coach in the IPL, having coached Mumbai Indians before his stint with Delhi Capitals. Additionally, he briefly served as the coach of the Australian T20 team in 2017-18.
Ponting had previously disclosed that he was approached for the coaching role by the BCCI after Ravi Shastri's tenure with the men's team ended in 2021.
Fleming not too keen to leave CSK
If either Ponting or Fleming is selected, it would mark the Indian team's first appointment of a foreign coach since Duncan Fletcher's tenure ended in 2015.
While it seems improbable that Fleming would depart from CSK after his longstanding 14-year association, Ponting appears to be the frontrunner to succeed Dravid. Justin Langer, VVS Laxman and Tom Moody are the other names that are floating around.
