Meet Woorkeri Venkat Raman, who is leading the race ahead of Gautam Gambhir to become the Indian cricket team's head coach. Here's everything you need to know about this former cricketer.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the appointment of iconic cricketer, Rahul Dravid as the head coach of the Indian cricket team back in November 2021. After making some remarkable improvements under Dravid's coaching tenure, BCCI is once again active in finding a worthy candidate, who can replace Dravid and build on his success in the national team. The first candidate shortlisted by BCCI was the legendary cricketer, Gautam Gambhir, who served as KKR's mentor for many years.
After KKR won the 2024 IPL title, Gautam Gambhir was tipped as the favourite to succeed Dravid as Team India's head coach. However, things took a different turn in June 2024, when a new name started getting linked to the esteemed position. The name was Woorkeri Venkat Raman, better known as WV Raman, who is the former coach of India's national women's cricket team.
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The 59-year-old coach, WV Raman has joined Gautam Gambhir in the race to become Team India's head coach. The cricketer has proved the mettle of his coaching skills in major tournaments like the Vijay Hazare tournament, Indian Premier League, and international cricket.
For the uninitiated, WV Raman is a former Indian cricketer, who played domestic cricket for Tamil Nadu and was even a part of the Team India squad, which lifted the 1990-91 Asia Cup. WV Raman made his ODI and Test debut against West Indies in 1988. He scored his only international century in 1992 in India's match against South Africa. The former cricketer was also a part of Team India, which defeated Sri Lanka to lift the ACC Asia Cup in 1990-91. While his career as a player wasn't that impressive, WV Raman reached major milestones in his managerial career.
WV Raman's coaching career kick-started in 2006 after he was appointed as the head coach of Tamil Nadu. Under his guidance and coaching, Tamil Nadu won the 2008-09 edition of the domestic one-day tournament. In July 2010, he was appointed as Bengal's coach and replaced Roger Binny. WV Raman's coaching career took a massive jump in 2013 when he was appointed as the assistant coach of the Indian Premier League team, Kings XI Punjab.
In the following years, WV Raman took the role of Kolkata Knight Riders' batting coach and played a crucial role in their journey to lift the IPL title in 2014 against Kings XI Punjab in the final. Because of his impeccable impact in his previous coaching roles, WV Raman took command of India's women's national team in 2018. He worked with them until 2021, increasing the stature of their game and strengthening the squad.
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Amidst the reports about Gautam Gambhir and WV Raman going head-to-head in the race to become Team India's next head coach, some reports are signalling an interesting possibility. As per reports, BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) is considering bringing both Gautam Gambhir and WV Raman onboard as Team India's head coach. According to a report in News18, a source close to the publication revealed that the cricket board is exploring the possibility of bringing Gautam as head coach and WV Raman as batting coach.
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The source further added that BCCI knows the fact that both WV Raman and Gautam Gambhir are brilliant in their own ways, which is why they're trying to build a system in which they can coexist. As per multiple reports, the official announcement about the appointment of Team India's next head coach will be made on June 21, 2024.
What are your thoughts on WV Raman's credentials? Do you think he is a better candidate for the position of Team India's next head coach after Rahul Dravid? Let us know.
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