Gautam Gambhir and the BCCI are in the final stages of negotiating his salary. Once his remuneration is settled, the BCCI will officially announce him as India's next head coach.
Following Rahul Dravid's departure after leading India to victory in the T20 World Cup, Gambhir emerged as the leading candidate for the position. He was among the two applicants, along with WV Raman, who underwent interviews conducted by the Cricket Advisory Committee consisting of Ashok Malhotra, Jatin Paranjape, and Sulakshana Naik. Numerous reports strongly indicate that Gambhir is set to assume the role.
Recently, Gambhir was seen filming a farewell video at Eden Gardens, marking the end of his tenure with the Kolkata Knight Riders, where he played a pivotal role in their IPL championship after a decade. Despite Gambhir's apparent candidacy, the delay in the announcement primarily stems from ongoing negotiations over his salary. According to reports from The Indian Express, these negotiations are nearing conclusion.
The BCCI had advertised the position with negotiable remuneration based on experience. Gambhir is expected to command a higher salary than his predecessor, Rahul Dravid, who earned approximately 12 crore annually.
This will mark Gambhir's first national-level coaching assignment, having previously served as mentor for teams in the IPL. Currently, India's team in Zimbabwe is under the guidance of NCA head VVS Laxman. BCCI secretary Jay Shah has confirmed India's upcoming white-ball series in Sri Lanka will have a new head coach in charge.
Additionally, the BCCI plans to invite applications for the team’s support staff following the end of tenures for batting coach Vikram Rathour, bowling coach Paras Mhambrey, and fielding coach T Dilip post-T20 World Cup in the USA and the West Indies. Gambhir is expected to have autonomy in selecting his support staff once the application process is completed.
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