MS Dhoni to have a role in deciding Rahul Dravid's successor as India head coach
Rahul Dravid's tenure as India's men's head coach will terminate after the T20 World Cup 2024, and he has expressed his desire not to be considered for the role again.
Former India captain MS Dhoni is likely to have a role in the selection of India's next men's head coach The tenure of the current head coach, Rahul Dravid, is set to end after the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024. It is believed that Dravid has expressed his desire not to be considered for the next tenure, which will run till 2027 ODI World Cup.
As a result, BCCI has invited several applications for the role and also approached some renowned names in the cricketing circuit to take up the job. According to the sources, Stephen Fleming was one of the first names whom the BCCI approached for the role of India's head coach. But the former New Zealand captain was hesitant to commit till 2027.
It is believed that Fleming is satisfied with the short stints in various T20 leagues in the world rather than committing for a longer role. The short stints help him to take out considerable time with his family due to the brief durations of these tournaments.
The former Kiwi opener has been associated with the IPL team Chennai Super Kings since the first year of the IPL. After playing as a player in 2008, he took charge of the team from 2009 and is still in the role. Apart from CSK, Fleming is also the head coach of various Super Kings franchises like Joburg Super Kings in SA20 (SA) and Texas Super Kings in Major League Cricket (USA). He is also in charge of the Southern Brave in The Hundred.
MS Dhoni has a role to play in Stephen Fleming's appointment
While Fleming has expressed his reluctance for the job, the BCCI is not yet ready top give up on him. According to Hindustan Times, it is believed that MS Dhoni could be the last choice to persuade Fleming for the role.
"Fleming hasn't said no. He has expressed his concerns about the tenure of the contract, which is nothing unusual. Even Rahul Dravid wasn't keen in the beginning. He was persuaded. It shouldn't be a surprise if the same thing happens with Fleming. And who better than MS Dhoni to do the job?" a BCCI source said to Hindustan Times.
The source also mentioned that since Dhoni's IPL 2024 campaign is over now, they can reach out to him for help.
"Opening channels with Dhoni during the IPL was not the right thing to do, but now it may be worth a shot," the source further added.
Dhoni and Fleming have been together in CSK since 2008. In the first year, Fleming played under Dhoni but he was appointed the head coach of the franchise in 2009. Since then, Dhoni and Fleming have been together and have taken Chennai Super Kings to five IPL trophies so far.
Even during the time when CSK was banned was two years, MS Dhoni and Stephen Fleming were together in Rising Pune Supergiants where Fleming was the head coach of the team.
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Apart from Fleming, it is also believed that the BCCI has also approached Gautam Gambhir, Mahela Jayawardene and Justin Langer for India's head coach's role.
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