Justin Langer rules himself out of India head coach contention after KL Rahul told him - ‘If you think there's pressure and politics in an IPL team...'

Former Australia head coach and current head coach of Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), Justin Langer has ruled himself out of contention for the top job in the Indian men’s cricket team. Langer said that he though 'it would be an amazing job' but after his conversation with LSG captain KL Rahul, he decided not to apply for the post.
 

"It would be an amazing job, [but] I have [put myself out of contention]," Langer said on BBC's Stumped podcast. "I also know that it's an all-encompassing role, and having done it for four years with the Australian team, honestly, it's exhausting. And that's the Australian job!"
 

Langer was asked whether he would consider it in future to which he replied, "You never say never. And the pressure of doing it in India… I was talking to KL Rahul [the captain at Lucknow Super Giants, where Langer is the head coach] and he said, 'You know, if you think there's pressure and politics in an IPL team, multiply that by a thousand, [that's] coaching India. That was a good bit of advice, I guess. It would be an awesome job, but not for me at the moment."
 

LSG for the first time failed to qualify for the Indian Premier League (IPL) playoffs. They had seven wins from 14 games but their net run rate (RR) was inferior.
 

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Other contenders for the head coach position

Apart from Langer, Harbhajan Singh and Andy Flower have also opted not to apply for the job. Currently, Gautam Gambhir and Stephen Fleming are two frontrunners for the job. 
 

However, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) CEO Kasi Viswanathan feels that the former New Zealand captain is unlikely to put his name forward.
 

"I know that it's not going to be his cup of tea because he doesn't like to be involved [in coaching] for nine-ten months in a year. That's my feeling. I have not discussed anything more with him," Viswanathan said on CSK’s YouTube channel. 
 

Deadline to apply for position 

Rahul Dravid’s tenure as head coach will end after India’s T20 World Cup 2024 campaign. The last date to apply for the position is May 27. 
 

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