Virat Kohli’s childhood coach snubs Gautam Gambhir, wants MS Dhoni as Rahul Dravid’s replacement

Rahul Dravid’s tenure as Team India’s head coach will be completed after the T20 World Cup 2024. BCCI had invited applications for India’s next coach role and the deadline was May 27.

While the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has reportedly zeroed in on Gautam Gambhir to be the new head coach of India’s senior men’s cricket team, Virat Kohli’s childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma opined that MS Dhoni is the best candidate for the role.

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A few overseas coaches’ names were floated around the media, but the BCCI Secretary Jay Shah quashed those rumours by confirming that the board hasn’t approached any ex-cricketer for the role. Jay Shah also hinted that BCCI is likely to go for an Indian for the coach position.

Virat Kohli’s childhood coach picks MS Dhoni over Gautam Gambhir for India’s head coach role

The BCCI is keen to get Gautam Gambhir on board. Their belief in Gambhir would have been strengthened after the former India opener mentored KKR to the IPL 2024 trophy last Sunday.

However, Rajkumar Sharma, who is a Dronacharya award winner, reckons former India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni would be the ideal person for the role as he has led India and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to trophies multiple times.

Speaking with India News, Rajkumar said, “First of all, it will be interesting to see which names apply for this post. I would like that whoever becomes the coach should be an Indian. If Mahendra Singh Dhoni announces retirement, he can prove to be a good option. He (Dhoni) has played a lot of cricket and has won big tournaments.”

Sharma pointed at Dhoni’s man-managing skills, something that was highlighted brilliantly during the early years of his captaincy career when he had to lead several Indian superstars.

“Dhoni will have more respect in the dressing room and he has played this format for a long time. Being able to plan for the team and manage it properly, is most needed in the team because when Dhoni became the captain, there were big players in that team like Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Harbhajan Singh, Anil Kumble, Gautam Gambhir, and Yuvraj Singh were present. Despite this, Dhoni handled the team brilliantly,” Sharma asserted.

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