“Desh Ke Liye“: Inside Details Of Jay Shah-Gautam Gambhir Conversation On India Coach Selection

BCCI secretary Jay Shah with KKR mentor Gautam Gambhir© Twitter

The official deadline for application submission for the post of Indian cricket team coach selection is over. Monday was the last date to submit the google sheets. Several top names, most of whom are associated with IPL teams, like Gautam Gambhir, Stephen Fleming, Rocky Ponting, Justin Langer were doing the rounds when the news first came out that the BCCI were looking for a successor to Rahul Dravid as the Indian cricket team coach. However, most of the foreign names publicly announced that they would not be applying for the team. 

In fact, BCCI secretary Jay Shah said that no Australian was approached for the coaching role. he also said that BCCI would appoint someone who knows the domestic structure inside out. After this statement, the general consensus was that he was indicating towards an Indian coach for the Indian cricket team. Hence, National Cricket Academy head VVS Laxman and IPL champions Kolkata Knight Riders mentor Gautam Gambhir became the highly discussed names. 

Now, a report in Cricbuzz has claimed the inside details of the conversation between Jay Shah and Gautam Gambhir after the IPl 2024 final. “The buzzword inside the coach selection circle is ‘desh ke liye karna hai’. Both the BCCI and Gambhir share the belief that ‘we must do it for the country.’ And the conversation between Jay Shah and Gambhir is understood to be centred around this idea,” the report said.

The report added that Gambhir has been known to wear his patriotism on his sleeves. It added that Gambhir has apparently said in his close quarters that he is considering BCCI’s approach. The report further added that KKR co-owner Shah Rukh Khan is aware of the development.

There is no confirmation from any side that Gautam Gambhir has formally applied for the coach’s role. Earlier, it was said that SRK wanted Gambhir to be associated with the IPL franchise for a long term. The actor, according to a report in Dainik Jagran, even offered Gambhir a blank cheque last year to be part of KKR for 10 years.

Topics mentioned in this article