Lucknow IPL franchise head coach Justin Langer distanced himself from the India coach job, saying he was not interested in the role at the moment. The BCCI has invited applications for the job with Rahul Dravid’s tenure set to end in June. Former Australia coach Justin Langer said coaching India is an “awesome job”, but ruled himself out of contention for the high-pressure role. Langer recalled a chat with KL Rahul during IPL 2024, saying the LSG captain gave him a good piece of advice about the complexity of the role involving ‘pressure and politics’.
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) head coach Justin Langer has said that he received some sound advice from franchise skipper KL Rahul over what it means to coach the Indian cricket team. Langer said that Rahul warned him about pressure and politics in the Indian coaching role being thousand times more than what is prevalent in the Indian Premier League.
BCCIs applications for Head Coach jobs for India post T20I world cup
The Indian cricket board (BCCI) invited applications for the job of the head coach of the senior national men’s team earlier in May. With Rahul Dravid’s tenure coming to an end in June 2024, the board is seeking candidates for the role, which would have a tenure of 3.5 years.
After BCCI secretary Jay Shah said that board was open to hiring an overseas coach, several names have been linked to the job — CSK head coach Stephen Fleming, Delhi head coach Ricky Ponting, Langer and Tom Moody were some of the foreign names who have been linked to the job.
However, Justin Langer ruled out the possibility of him applying for the India head coach role, saying the job was not for him at the moment.
‘Pressure and politics’: Justin Langer reveals KL Rahul’s India coaching job advice after IPL 2024
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) head coach Justin Langer has said that he received some sound advice from franchise skipper KL Rahul over what it means to coach the Indian cricket team. Langer said that Rahul warned him about pressure and politics in the Indian coaching role being thousand times more than what is prevalent in the Indian Premier League.
Langer’s name has been doing the rounds as a possible contender to replace Rahul Dravid as Team India head coach after the 2024 T20 World Cup. Gautam Gambhir, Ricky Ponting and Stephen Fleming are among the names that are being discussed, according to reports.
On BBC’s Stumped podcast, Langer shared his thoughts on the India coaching role and made it clear that he’s not keen to take up the huge responsibility at present.
“It would be an amazing job, (but) I have (ruled myself out). 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,” Langer was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo.
‘1000 TIMES THE PRESSURE’ Justin Langer explains Indian Head Coach Job
Justin Langer coached Australia for 4 years, helping them navigate through a tough period after the Sandpaper Gate scandal. Under Langer’s strong style of leadership, Australia went on to win the Ashes and ended their long wait for the T20 World Cup trophy.
Asked whether he would be open to considering the role in the future, the former Aussie batter revealed his conversation with LSG skipper Rahul over the matter and replied:
“You never say never. And the pressure of doing it in India… 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. It would be an awesome job, but not for me at the moment,” Langer stated.
Langer and KL Rahul worked together at Lucknow IPL franchise after the Australian replaced Andy Flower as their head coach for the 2024 season. Despite starting the season well, LSG were not able to qualify for the playoffs. Langer, however, remained confident that his one-year contract would be renewed for next year, hinting that he was happy to continue to coach in the IPL.
The deadline for applications for the post of Team India’s next head coach ends on May 27. According to reports, current coach Dravid is not keen on continuing in the high-pressure role after the 2024 T20 World Cup, when his tenure ends.