Justin Langer pulls out of race for India’s head coach position

• Justin Langer will not be in race for India’s head coach.
• He cited the demanding nature of the role.
• The deadline for applications for the Indian coaching job is May 27.

After Ricky Ponting, Justin Langer, the former opening batsman, has also decided not to pursue the position of India’s next head coach, a decision he made after a discussion with KL Rahul, the captain of Lucknow Super Giants.

Langer, who previously coached Australia, told the BBC that he was not ready to undertake another international assignment.

“It would be an amazing job, [but] I have [put myself out of contention]. 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 quoted as saying on BBC’s Stumped podcast.

When questioned about the possibility of accepting the job in the future, Langer responded: “You never say never. And the pressure of doing it in India… I was talking to KL Rahul 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.”

Langer, aged 53, stepped down from his role with Australia in 2022 amid reported dissatisfaction with his leadership style, despite leading the team to victories in the T20 World Cup and the Ashes.

He assumed the role of head coach for the Lucknow Super Giants in this season’s IPL.

“It would be an awesome job, but not for me at the moment,” Langer stated.

Earlier, Ponting acknowledged that he had been approached for the position but was not prepared for a long-term commitment at this time.

The deadline for applications for the Indian coaching job is May 27, following Rahul Dravid’s decision not to continue in the role.

Ponting’s current roles include being the head coach of Delhi Capitals, doing television work in Australia, serving as the head of strategy at Hobart Hurricanes, and being the head coach of Washington Freedom in MLC.

“I’ve seen a lot of reports about it,” Ponting told the ICC Review. “Normally these things pop up on social media before you even know about them, but 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.”

The BCCI is seeking to appoint a new head coach for all three formats for a term of three and a half years, starting from July 2024 until December 2027.

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