Gautam Gambhir is currently the frontrunner to become the head coach of the Indian men's cricket team, edging out former women's team head coach WV Raman. VVS Laxman and his support staff at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) might accompany the Indian team to Zimbabwe for a five-match T20I series starting on July 6, while Gambhir is expected to start his tenure with the Sri Lanka tour. The squad for the Zimbabwe series will be announced by the end of this week, around June 22 or 23. Currently, young IPL performers and players targeted by the BCCI are training under Laxman at the NCA.
The announcement of Gambhir's appointment as head coach is expected soon, and he will have the opportunity to choose his support staff, including batting, bowling, and fielding coaches. However, it is anticipated that Gambhir will begin his role in mid-July during India's white-ball series in Sri Lanka, which consists of three T20Is and three ODIs.
A BCCI source indicated that Laxman and some NCA coaches might travel with a new-look squad to Zimbabwe, continuing their role in covering for Rahul Dravid and the primary team coaches during their periodic breaks. It is expected that a young squad, including six to seven members from the T20 World Cup contingent, will head to Zimbabwe. Three rookies likely to be included are Riyan Parag, Abhishek Sharma, and all-rounder Nitish Reddy, with either Yash Dayal or Harshit Rana also getting a maiden call-up.
The team captain for the Zimbabwe tour will either be Hardik Pandya, if he doesn't opt for rest, or Suryakumar Yadav, who previously led the T20 team against Australia at home and in an away series in South Africa.
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