Rohit Sharma with Kolkata Knight Riders mentor Gautam Gambhir during a practice session ahead of IPL 2024 match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians at Wankhede Stadium. (PTI Photo)
Pakistan’s legendary seamer Wasim Akram has backed current KKR team mentor Gautam Gambhir to take over the Indian men’s team head coach position.
With Rahul Dravid’s current contract with the national side set to end after the T20 World Cup in June, Gambhir’s name has been in the fray as a suitable successor.
“Yeah, he is the best candidate. It depends on whether Gautam accepts it. He has also left politics because it took too much time. It is a time-consuming job. He is a very intelligent person, so he realised it’s not easy. He has two lovely daughters,” Akram, a former KKR bowling coach, told Sportskeeda.
Akram further delved into the leadership skills of Gambhir, who was captain of KKR during his stint as a coach. “GG is very simple. Straightforward. Not a difficult person. But he speaks clearly, bluntly and doesn’t think twice, a quality that isn’t part of Indian cricket culture. In our culture, we say things that don’t offend people. But GG is someone who, if he doesn’t like something, will say it to your face. That’s his quality and that’s why everyone likes him. He gets aggressive at times, but that’s him as a person. He will bring that same aggression in the team, but it all boils down to whether he agrees to take up the role,” he added.
Gambhir marked his return to his former franchise ahead of this season after a couple of years with the Lucknow Super Giants. The return of the former India international has been followed with KKR finishing at the top of the points table in the league stage.
Akram also named Gujarat Titans head coach Ashish Nehra and VVS Laxman among his favorites for the gig.
“I have heard some other names too. They have a lot of experience. Nehra has done well; he is a people’s person. Everybody loves him; they want to be around him. And Laxman is another very good choice. He is the NCA head, where Dravid came from after serving as India Under-19 coach. So, they have a system in place. If you ask me, any of these three Indians are good options. Stick to your own people. They have been doing well. Rahul did brilliantly and before him, Ravi [Shastri] had set an example. So yeah,” Akram said.
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