Ponting confirms approach for India head coach role

Ray Sportz News Desk: Legendary Australian captain and former World Cup winner Ricky Ponting has revealed that he was approached by the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) to be the new head coach of the Indian Cricket Team, which would be vacant soon after the upcoming T20I World Cup as Rahul Dravid won’t continue as the coach of the side. But Ponting had decided to turn that offer down, by saying that 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.

“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.