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Former Pakistan wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal backed Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) mentor and World Cup-winning batter Gautam Gambhir to become India's next head coach. The former batter was reportedly interviewed by BCCI's Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) for the role on Tuesday, June 18.
Gambhir was the mentor for the KKR franchise that recently won the 2024 IPL title. He also captained KKR to their first two title runs in 2012 and 2014.
Talking to the Times of India, Akmal had high praise for the former Indian batter and vouched for him to become their next coach. He said:
"Whatever Gambhir touches turns into gold. The team he joins becomes successful. Team India doesn't need any foreign coaches. They have plenty of options and talent. After Dravid, no one can be the best and bigger than Gautam Gambhir. He was a big player and will become a great coach too. He is the best option India have right now."
He added:
"Gambhir was with Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and they did really well under him. He became a mentor of KKR and they became champions. He is an amazing planner and has a brilliant cricketing mind. I have played a lot of cricket with him. We have been together for a long time. We played, had food and had chats together. We are still good friends. We are still in touch. He should be the head coach and India can go for Ashish Nehra or Zaheer Khan as bowling coach."
With current head coach Rahul Dravid's tenure set to end after the ongoing T20 World Cup, Gautam Gambhir appears to be the front-runner for the role.
The Men in Blue are currently getting set to play in the Super Eights of the tournament, starting with the Afghanistan clash on Thursday, June 20.
"Rahul Dravid has given a lot to Indian cricket" - Kamran Akmal
Kamran Akmal praised current Indian coach Rahul Dravid for his incredible contribution to the side as a player and now as head coach.
Among the few batters to score over 10,000 runs in Tests and ODIs, Dravid took over as Team India's head coach after the 2021 T20 World Cup.
"Rahul Dravid has given a lot to Indian cricket. Not just with his batting, he has given a lot to Indian cricket as a coach as well. He has been working with a different model with Team India. He is one of the greats. Just look at his graph. He is someone who believes in making the roots and foundation so strong. Team India are dominating at the moment but behind the scene credit goes to Rahul Dravid," said Akmal in the same interview.
Under Dravid, Team India qualified for the World Test Championship and ODI World Cup final last year. The impressive showing meant his contract as head coach was extended from closure after the 2023 ODI World Cup to the ongoing T20 World Cup.
