Australia great Ricky Ponting has revealed that he was approached for the soon-to-be-vacant India head coach position, but he has declined the offer as it doesn’t fit into his “lifestyle” right now.
Ponting, who recently completed seven seasons as the head coach of Delhi Capitals IPL franchise, has been Australia’s interim T20 coach in the past. He did not say whether the feelers for India position came from the BCCI.
“…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,” Ponting told the ICC.
“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,” he added.
Ponting said he discussed the offer with his son and he seemed game for a move to India.
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“My family and my kids have spent the last five weeks over at the IPL with me and they come over every year and I had a whisper to my son about it,” he recalled.
“I said, ‘Dad’s been offered the Indian coaching job’ and he said, ‘Just take it dad, we would love to move over there for the next couple of years’,” Ponting quipped.
“That’s how much they love being over there and the culture of cricket in India, but right now it probably doesn’t exactly fit into my lifestyle,” he added.
Some other high-profile names such as Chennai Super Kings head coach Stephen Fleming, Lucknow Super Giants head coach Justin Langer and Kolkata Knight Riders mentor Gautam Gambhir have also been talked about as potential candidates for the position that Rahul Dravid will vacate after India’s T20 World Cup campaign next month.
The BCCI has set May 27 as the last date for submitting applications.
“I’ve seen a few other names thrown about as well. Justin Langer’s name got thrown in yesterday, Stephen Fleming’s name has been thrown about a little bit,” Ponting noted.
“Gautam Gambhir’s name has been thrown around a little bit the last couple of days as well. But I think it’d be unlikely for me just on the reasons that I’ve given there.”