Former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir, until Monday, was not just the frontrunner to replace Rahul Dravid for the head coach role in the Indian men's cricket team, but also was the only Indian contender for the role. There were reports clearly hinting that BCCI had already reached a deal with Gambhir, with the official announcement expected to be later this month, following the end of India's campaign in the ongoing 2024 T20 World Cup. But the former India opener found a fresh competitor from the very experienced WV Raman, who was also interviewed by BCCI's Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) on Tuesday.

Raman, a veteran of 28 international matches, brings a wealth of coaching experience to the table. He has far more experience as a coach than Gambhir, who has only played the role of a mentor for two IPL franchises over the last three seasons, one of which, Kolkata Knight Riders, went on to win the trophy.

After he retired from the game, Raman coached Tamil Nadu and Bengal in the domestic circuit before moving to IPL, where he served as an assistant coach in the Punjab franchise in 2013 and as a batting coach for KKR. He was also the head coach of the Indian women's cricket team between 2018 and 2021. Not to forget, Gambhir himself had sought Raman's help in finding his form in 2013 before they reunited at the KKR camp in 2014, the season they had won their second IPL trophy.

On Wednesday, a fresh report in News18 hinted that given Raman's experience and his rather impressive interview for the head coach role, BCCI could likely sign both candidates.

“The Indian cricket board must look at utilising the services of both Raman and Gambhir. There are numerous ways in which one can do that – say have Gambhir as head coach and Raman as batting coach or allow Raman to have more say in red ball. Lot of ways one can use them because both can benefit Indian cricket and that’s what one should look at,” a source tracking developments told the website.

The CAC members, comprising Ashok Malhotra, Jatin Paranjape and Sulakshana Naik, will be in for a big dilemma over picking one between Gambhir and Raman. The report further added that while there were rumours that an overseas candidate would also be interviewed for the role, such has not happened yet, leaving the race down to between the two Indian options.

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