Gautam Gambhir finds fresh competitor as reports emerge of BCCI planning to hire two coaches for Team India

Amid reports that Gautam Gambhir may be appointed as India's head coach after Rahul Dravid's tenure, the name of the new candidate has emerged. Gambhir is still the frontrunner for the role, but he now faces challenging competition from the very experienced Woorkeri Venkat Raman.

There were reports that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has already reached an agreement with Gambhir. But as per the latest update, WV Raman was also interviewed by the board’s Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) on Tuesday.

Looking at the wealth of experience, Raman is certainly ahead of the former India opener. The 59-year-old has played 28 international matches and has served as a coach in domestic cricket, the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the Indian women's cricket team. 

After retiring from the game, Raman coached Tamil Nadu and Bengal before serving as assistant coach for the Punjab franchise in the 2013 IPL. He was also a batting coach for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) before taking up the role of head coach of the Indian women's team between 2018 and 2021. Notably, he was part of the KKR franchise in 2014 when the Kolkata franchise won their second IPL trophy under Gambhir's leadership.

Raman has built a solid portfolio to apply for the high-profile role. Gambhir, on the other hand, does not have much coaching experience but has proven his mettle in various roles over the years. Apart from leading KKR to two tiles, the left-handed batter was India’s hero in the 2007 and 2011 World Cups. He was the mentor of Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in two IPL seasons, before reuniting with KKR in 2014 to help them win their third title. 

Also Read: What’s next for KKR if Gautam Gambhir becomes India’s head coach?

What does it mean if BCCI hires both Gambhir and Raman? 

Meanwhile, a new report suggests that the BCCI is considering appointing Gambhir and Raman as India's coaches. If this happens, Gambhir may serve as head coach and Raman as batting coach or the latter may focus only on red-ball cricket.  

“The Indian cricket board must look at utilising the services of both Raman and Gambhir. There are numerous ways in which one can do that – say have Gambhir as head coach and Raman as batting coach or allow Raman to have more say in red ball. Lot of ways one can use them because both can benefit Indian cricket and that’s what one should look at,” a source tracking development told News18.   

Dravid’s tenure as head coach will come to an end after the T20 World Cup in 2024. The appointment of the new coach/coaches is expected to be announced after the Men in Blue’s campaign at the marquee event later this month.

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