Team India head coach Ravi Shastri is all set to step down as coach of the national side after the T20 World Cup in UAE. With Ravi Shastri's not seeking an extension, , talks have started in the BCCI corridor on the road ahead. Initially, it was expected Rahul Dravid would be the automatic choice to take over, but with the ex-India Test specialist looking after the NCA, it is clear he is not in the race. As per a report in The Indian Express, BCCI is reportedly setting eyes on Anil Kumble to take back the position of national head coach after the T20 World Cup. The report also suggests that BCCI contacted former Sri Lanka captain and current Mumbai Indians coach Mahela Jayawardene with the offer.
However, Jayawardene, is said to be interested in coaching the Sri Lankan team, and the IPL franchise. An India coach cannot take up any other cricketing assignment as the new BCCI constitution doesn’t allow any individual to hold two posts at the same time. Jayawardene is the coach in demand across cricket leagues currently. He recently won the inaugural edition of The Hundred with Southern Brave. “Having done 18 years of international cricket as a player I don’t want to live out of a suitcase for 12 months of the year. This is a good challenge for me and it’s early days. I don’t do too many tournaments so that I have my personal time to spend back home with the family. I’m happy to help out as a consultant here and there (with Sri Lanka) but not on a full-time basis because I would not enjoy that personally," he said according to Sky Sports.
Jayawardene is currently in the UAE, as head coach of Mumbai Indians for the second phase of IPL 2021. After the completion of the mandatory quarantine, Jayawardene got straight down to the work on ground after joining the squad. Jayawardene was appointed as the head coach of Mumbai Indians in 2016. Under him, Mumbai won the IPL title in 2017 before clinching back-to-back trophies in 2019 and 2020. The defending champions are placed fourth in the points table with eight points from seven matches. They open their second leg of IPL 2021 against Chennai Super Kings on September 19 in Dubai.
