Hurricane delays triumphant return as India set to name new coach

Published July 1, 2024
BCCI secretary Jay Shah poses with Kolkata Knight Riders coach Gautam Gambhir at the IPL final on May 26, 2024. — AFP via ESPNcricinfo/File
BCCI secretary Jay Shah poses with Kolkata Knight Riders coach Gautam Gambhir at the IPL final on May 26, 2024. — AFP via ESPNcricinfo/File

India will name their new coach after the World Cup-winning team makes its triumphant return from the Caribbean — but it is unclear when that will be because of a hurricane.

The frontrunner appears to be Gautam Gambhir, 42, a former batsman who scored over 10,000 international runs across three formats. He most recently coached Kolkata Knight Riders to the Indian Premier League crown.

Indian media reported on Monday that the other man in the running to replace Rahul Dravid is W.V. Raman, 59, also an ex-Indian cricketer and former coach of the national women’s team.

Jay Shah, secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), said the two candidates had been “interviewed and shortlisted” by the board’s Cricket Advisory Committee, according to the Press Trust of India news agency.

“After reaching Mumbai, whatever they have decided, we will go by that,” Shah said.

Shah spoke in Barbados, where he told Indian reporters the team were stranded because flights were delayed by Hurricane Beryl. “Like you we are also stuck,” he told reporters.

Former batsman V.V.S. Laxman will coach the team for their tour of Zimbabwe for five T20 internationals from July 6-14, Shah said.

The new coach will take over for India’s tour of Sri Lanka, made up of three T20s and three ODIs, which begins on July 27.

 Fans celebrate after India’s victory in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup final cricket match against South Africa on June 29, 2024. — AFP
Fans celebrate after India’s victory in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup final cricket match against South Africa on June 29, 2024. — AFP

India won a thrilling final by seven runs against South Africa in Barbados on Saturday to clinch their first global tournament since the 2013 Champions Trophy.

The T20 triumph ended more than a decade of heartache after India’s previous World Cup win came in the 50-over version in 2011.

The T20 World Cup final was the final match in charge for former skipper Dravid, 51, who was bounced in the air by the team during the celebrations.

Dream come true for a billion: Rohit

Meanwhile, World Cup-winning skipper Rohit Sharma said his team’s victory was a “dream come true” for India, as he awaited his return home to a hero’s welcome.

“The team and I are very proud to be able to bring the cup home and are truly touched by how much happiness it has brought everyone back home,” Rohit said in a post on social media on Monday.

He also posted a picture of himself lying flat on his back with his eyes closed, wearing his blue team kit.

“This picture epitomises how I’m feeling right now,” he said. “Right now I’m basking in a dream come true for a billion of us.”

Jay Shah announced around 25 people in the team, coaching and support staff would share nearly $15 million in prize money, a reward for their “talent, determination, and sportsmanship”.

The bonus is in addition to a record prize pool of $11.25m for the tournament, of which India will receive $2.45m.

The cricket-obsessed country erupted in midnight celebrations as India won, with fans in blue India shirts taking to the streets across cities, including the capital New Delhi.

Opinion

Editorial

PTI in disarray
Updated 30 Nov, 2024

PTI in disarray

PTI’s protest plans came abruptly undone because key decisions were swayed by personal ambitions rather than political wisdom and restraint.
Tired tactics
30 Nov, 2024

Tired tactics

Matiullah's arrest appears to be a case of the state’s overzealous and misplaced application of the law.
Smog struggle
30 Nov, 2024

Smog struggle

AS smog continues to shroud parts of Pakistan, an Ipsos survey highlights the scope of this environmental hazard....
Solidarity with Palestine
Updated 29 Nov, 2024

Solidarity with Palestine

The wretched of the earth see in the Palestinian struggle against Israel a mirror of themselves.
Little relief for public
29 Nov, 2024

Little relief for public

INFLATION, the rate of increase in the prices of goods and services over a given period of time, has receded...
Right to education
29 Nov, 2024

Right to education

IT is troubling to learn that over 16,500 students of the University of Karachi (KU) have defaulted on fee payments...