'It doesn't fit into my lifestyle right now': Ricky Ponting reveals why he declined India head coach job offer

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has revealed that the BCCI had approached him to become the next head of the Indian cricket team but he has declined the offer, saying it does not fit his “lifestyle” currently. The BCCI are in the hunt for a new head coach, with Rahul Dravid’s contract expiring after the 2024 T20 World Cup that gets underway on 1 June.

Dravid’s contract as India head coach was supposed to expire at the end of the 2023 ODI World Cup, but with the Men in Blue reaching the final of that tournament, he and his coaching staff were handed a contract extension till the T20 World Cup. Ponting, meanwhile, is currently the head coach of Delhi Capitals in the IPL. DC finished in sixth place in IPL 2024 with 14 points.

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“I’ve seen a lot of reports about it (him being offered a job by BCCI),” Ponting told the ICC. “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," added the 49 year-old.

Ponting further revealed the challenges that come with taking up as head coach of Team India. “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,” continued the three-time ODI World Cup winner.

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Ponting was quick to note Justin Langer and Stephen Fleming’s names as potential candidates, as well as that of Gautam Gambhir. “I’ve seen a few other names thrown about as well. Justin Langer’s name got thrown in yesterday, Stephen Fleming’s name has been thrown about a little bit,” stated the former Tasmania cricketer. “Gautam Gambhir’s name has been thrown around a little bit the last couple of days as well. But I think it’d be unlikely for me just on the reasons that I’ve given there," he added.

Son encouraged me to take up India coach job: Ponting

Ricky Ponting went onto say that when he told his son Fletcher about the offer, the latter encouraged him to take up the job, so that he and his family could shift 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, and 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’”, said Ponting.

“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,” added the former interim head coach of Australia.

Another interesting fact is that Ponting was also approached for the job in 2021 before Rahul Dravid was appointed.

“I had a couple of conversations with some people during the IPL about it (the India head coach’s position). The people that I spoke to were pretty hell-bent on finding a way to make it work,” Pinting told the Grade Cricketer Podcast in 2021.

The deadline set by BCCI for submitting applications for the India head coach job is 27 May.