Australia defeated India by six wickets on Sunday, January 5, forcing India to withdraw from the WTC 2025 cycle and join Australia for the historic match at Lord’s from June 11–15. The baggy greens won the title 3-1, while the Indian team suffered their first BGT series loss in the previous decade. Due to his performance, head coach Gautam Gambhir is not receiving much attention, and India is not having a terrific run. The former India opener joined the team following the T20 World Cup, and his stats don’t seem good.

India lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy under Gambhir’s leadership after losing an ODI series in Sri Lanka and losing to New Zealand at home. The sword is therefore dangling over GG’s head, and he may even be swapped out before important competitions like the Champions Trophy. This article will look at three players who might take Gambhir’s position as India’s coach in the meantime.
1. WV Raman
The Cricket Advisory Committee had also selected former India women’s head coach WV Raman when Gambhir was hired as India’s head coach. Therefore, in 2025, the BCCI may once more turn to Raman to lead India.
As the batting coach for KKR during their 2014 championship season and as the coach of Tamil Nadu, who won the Vijay Hazare Trophy in the 2008–09 season, Raman has an extensive career as a domestic cricket coach.
Raman also served as the head coach of the Indian women’s team from 2018 to 2021. Under his tutelage, the Indian women achieved their highest-ever finish in an ICC T20I competition by making it to the 2020 T20 World Cup finals.
2. VVS Laxman
VVS Laxman is another name and a strong contender to succeed Gambhir as head coach of India. For the past several years, the former India batter has served as the team’s backup coach. Laxman has frequently taken on the coaching job against a lower-ranked team, even during Dravid’s reign.
Laxman, who is also the chairman of NCA, recently accompanied team India as their head coach on their 2024 T20I series tour of South Africa and Zimbabwe. As a result, the right-hand batter maintains a close relationship with the BCCI and the players in the dressing room.
3. Ravi Shastri
In times of crisis, Shastri is India’s go-to person. As India’s head coach from 2017 to 2021, the 61-year-old had a fantastic tenure and established himself as a successful international player. Shastri may certainly return for a second term as India’s head coach, even though his stint ended on a negative note.
Shastri’s name is the one that most immediately comes to mind when considering the history of players who have coached the Indian squad. In 2007, he started off as an interim head coach. After serving as India’s team director from 2014 to 2016, Ravi took over as head coach again from 2017 to 21.
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