'It just doesn't fit…': Ricky Ponting confirms he was approached for India head coach role

Ever since, BCCI has posted an advertisment seeking applications for the role of Indian men’s national team’s head coach, several names have popped up for the role. Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting is one of them and the man himself has now confirmed that the BCCI approached him for the said role and was significantly interested to take it up.

However, given his schedule and the demands of the job, Ponting rejected the offer. He is currently at the helm of Delhi Capitals as the head coach while he also has a commentary stint during the home season back in Australia. While he wishes to be a coach of a senior national team, Australia’s World Cup-winning captain is currently not in a position to take up the responsibility. He also pointed out that to be with the national team, one needs to be away from home for around 10-11 months.

“I’ve seen a lot of reports about it. Normally these things pop up on social media before you even know about them, but there were a few little one-on-one conversations during the IPL, just to get a level of interest from me as to whether I would do it. I’d love to be a senior coach of a national team, but with the other things that I have in my life and wanting to have a bit of time at home…everyone knows if you take a job working with the Indian team you can’t be involved in an IPL team, so it would take that out of it as well.

“Also, a national head coach is a 10 or 11-month of the year job, and as much as I’d like to do it, it just doesn’t fit into my lifestyle right now and the things that I really enjoy doing,” Ponting told ICC Review. Meanwhile, it has been reported that Rahul Dravid is not seeking an extension and the new person on the role will be taking up the job from July 2024 to December 2027.