Being the head coach of the Indian team presents a great opportunity, and at the same time, many expectations from emotional fans of the country. Some of the individuals drive with the pressure mounting on them, while a few others succumb to the pressure. In the early part of this decade, John Wright instilled an attacking mindset within the Indian team, while Gary Kirsten coached India to a historic 2011 World Cup victory.
In the current pool of players, some of them have been role models for youngsters due to their work ethics and on-field performances. Rightfully, if those players are interested to take up this important role, they can be a boon to the Indian team's prospects.
5 Indian players who can become head coach in Future
1. Ajinkya Rahane
A composed batter, safe fielder and proactive leader, Rahane has been one of the finest players to represent the Indian team. In the recent few years, he is tagged as the red-ball player, but has displayed proficiency in the white-ball format as well.
The highlight of Rahane's career arrived when he led the Indian team to a historic 2-1 Test series victory on Australian soil in early 2021, under the absence of regular skipper Virat Kohli. A talented tactician has the experience of playing close to 200 international matches and can be a strong contender for this role due to his calm demeanor.
2. Ravichandran Ashwin
Since his debut in 2010, Ashwin is a leader of the spin-bowling group of the Indian team. Many had doubted his ability to succeed in overseas conditions, but the 35-year-old proved them all wrong with his consistent deliverables in form of wickets to get India an upper hand. With 442 Test wickets in 86 appearances, he has picked wickets, whether be it on a flat surface or a turning track, which is a case study in itself as well.
With leadership experience with IPL and the Tamil Nadu domestic team, Ashwin has the optimum knowledge to pass on to the young players wanting to do well for the Indian team in the near future. The spinner with a great cricketing brain can foster India's growth, especially in the purest format of the game.
3. Cheteshwar Pujara
Often hailed as a perfect replacement to Rahul Dravid, Pujara has been a stupendous batter for the Indian team in the Test format. He has stayed true to his art and marks his presence among only a few of the players, who is a Test specialist, with an ability to negate the opposition bowlers in crunch moments.
The head coach of any team must have hunger and eagerness to have a mindset to win matches/series in any situation. Such a case was witnessed in India's 2020/21 Tour to Australia, wherein the 34-year-old stood tall to face body blows, but still managed to score 50 off 176 balls, which resulted in India drawing the match at Sydney, and ultimately winning the series in the subsequent fixture at Gabba.
4. Shikhar Dhawan
A cool customer at the crease, and often looking to time the ball sweetly in the powerplay overs, Dhawan has been a reliable run-scorer for the Indian team. The southpaw rose to fame when he helped India to lift the 2013 Champions Trophy, by scoring 363 runs in five innings. Since then, the 36-year-old has continued his bright form for the Men in Blue.
Although the birth of T20 leagues has opened a new market for the players, their contributions will still depend upon the technique and serenity at the crease. The much-needed attributes have been in-built in Dhawan, who has been a top-scorer for his respective IPL team in the recent few years, which makes him a perfect leader for the future as well.
5. Dinesh Karthik
Not many cricket-watching audiences would have predicted the rise of Karthik, which they have witnessed in the recent few months. After being dropped from the squad due to bad performances in the 2019 World Cup, the 37-year-old was involved in a commentary stint as well. However, the 2020/21 domestic season saw a different Karthik altogether, who desired to take the game deep and win matches for Tamil Nadu.
Karthik then translated his domestic success to the IPL 2022 as well for RCB. His ability to play quickfire innings under pressure helped the team to seal the playoff spot, and also earned him a place on the Indian T20I team as well. In the same way, the veteran keeper-batter can imbibe the self-confidence and fighting attitude among the players during his coaching stint as well.