As the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) intensifies its hunt for the men’s national team’s new head coach, the names of several renowned former cricketers have surfaced. VVS Laxman and Gautam Gambhir were the top Indian names to emerge as the board rolled out the advertisement to find Rahul Dravid‘s replacement. The likes of Ricky Ponting, Justin Langer, Stephen Fleming, etc. were also reported to be on the board’s shortlist. But, it seems like the No. 1 candidate on the BCCI’s radar is Kolkata Knight Riders mentor Gautam Gambhir.

As per a report in Dainik Jagaran, Gambhir is also keen on taking up the job of India’s head coach, though this is only his first year as the mentor of KKR. But, the former India batter has ‘one condition’ before he fills out the application form.

The report claims that Gambhir is only willing to apply for the post if he is given a ‘selection guarantee’. The former India opening batter isn’t keen to just be an applicant for the post. Only certainty of selection as Dravid’s replacement would see Gambhir throw his hat in the ring.

The last date to apply for the head coach’s role is May 27. It isn’t yet known how many potential coaches have put their names across for the role. The BCCI, recently, had denied reaching out to the likes of Ricky Ponting and Justin Langer for the head coach’s job, though the duo claimed that they were approached but decided to turn down the offer.

If Gambhir does apply for the post and take up the role, he would have to leave his position as the mentor for the Knight Riders. The former left-handed batter, who has also won the IPL with KKR as their captain twice, has been credited for the resurgence the franchise has shown this year. KKR’s performances in IPL 2024 have been one of the biggest reasons behind Gambhir’s stocks as India’s potential head coach rising up.