Mahela Jayawardene likely to apply for Team India’s head coach position

The tenure of India’s coaching staff led by the head coach Ravi Shastri has been extended for the upcoming West Indies tour. But the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has invited applications for all the coaching positions. The current staff will also have to go through the process to get selected again. The Cricket Advisory Committee led by Kapil Dev will take the final decision in this regard.

Several former cricketers seem to be interested in the top job and the latest to join the bandwagon is Mahela Jayawardene. The former Sri Lanka cricketer is very highly rated for the coaching job and has been the consultant coach for England for a brief period. Also, it has been reported he is the front-runner to be named the head coach of the Southampton-based franchise Southern Brave for The Hundred competition in England.

Jayawardene’s record as coach

According to the reports in Financial Express, Mahela Jayawardene seems to be interested in taking over the Indian team’s mantle from Ravi Shastri. He has a decent coaching experience having been at the helm for the Mumbai Indians, the most successful franchise in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The team has won the trophy twice in three editions since the Sri Lankan legend was appointed the coach.

“Some of the candidates who are likely to apply for the post of the head coach are Gary Kirsten, Mahela Jayawardene and Tom Moody, the report in Financial Express read.

Moreover, if he is picked as the Indian coach, his camaraderie with the vice-captain Rohit Sharma will do wonders for the Men in Blue. With Virat Kohli at the helm, the trio can work together to build a decent team for the next World Cup. There is also speculation about Tom Moody being the one more interested for the job after the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) parted ways with him last week.