NEW DELHI: Amidst reports that former Australian cricketers
Ricky Ponting
and
Justin Langer
turned down offers to coach the Indian senior men's team, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (
BCCI
) secretary
Jay Shah
categorically denied the board approached any former Australian cricketer with a coaching offer.
Jay Shah said in a statement on Friday, "When we talk about international cricket, no role is more prestigious than that of the Head Coach of the
Indian Cricket Team
.
Team India
commands the largest fan base globally, enjoying support that is truly unrivalled. Our rich history, passion for the game make this one of the most lucrative jobs in the world. The role demands a high level of professionalism as one gets to nurture some of the best cricketers in the world and an assembly line of talented cricketers to follow. Catering to the aspirations of a billion fans is a huge honour and the BCCI will pick the right candidate, capable of propelling Indian cricket forward."
"Neither I nor the BCCI have approached any former Australian cricketer with a coaching offer. The reports circulating in certain media sections are completely incorrect. Finding the right coach for our national team is a meticulous and thorough process. We are focused on identifying individuals who possess a deep understanding of the Indian cricket structure and have risen through the ranks. It's crucial that our coach has an in-depth knowledge of our domestic cricket framework to truly elevate Team India to the next level," Shah added.
Australian great Ricky Ponting had disclosed on Thursday that he was contacted about taking over as head coach of India, a role that will soon become available, but he turned down the offer since it didn't fit into his "lifestyle" at the time.
"...there were a few little one-on-one conversations during the IPL, just to get a level of interest from me as to whether I would do it," Ponting told the ICC.
"I'd love to be a senior coach of a national team, but with the other things that I have in my life and wanting to have a bit of time at home...everyone knows if you take a job working with the Indian team, you can't be involved in an IPL team, so it would take that out of it as well.
"Also, a national head coach is a 10 or 11-month of the year job, and as much as I'd like to do it, it just doesn't fit into my lifestyle right now and the things that I really enjoy doing," he added.
Another report on Thursday said that Lucknow Super Giants head coach Justin Langer was interested in the India head coach job but skipper
KL Rahul
's advice made him take a step back and reconsider the massive commitment he was going for.
Langer had previously said that coaching the Indian team would be an amazing job but recently put himself out of contention.
Langer in a recent interview said that Rahul told him managing Team India is a very high pressure job and is a thousand times more difficult than managing an IPL franchise.
"It would be an amazing job, [but] I have [put myself out of contention]," Langer said on BBC's Stumped podcast.
"I also know that it's an all-encompassing role, and having done it for four years with the Australian team, honestly, it's exhausting. And that's the Australian job!"
"I was talking to KL Rahul and he said, 'You know, if you think there's pressure and politics in an IPL team, multiply that by a thousand, [that's] coaching India. That was a good bit of advice, I guess," Langer said.
The deadline for applications is May 27 according to the BCCI.
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