Former India head coach Rahul Dravid has emerged as one of the contenders to replace Brendon McCullum as England’s Test coach after the New Zealander was relieved of his duties following the team’s poor performance in the longest format.

According to a report in the Daily Telegraph, Dravid is among the shortlist of candidates that also includes former England coach Andy Flower and former England spinner Richard Dawson.

McCullum’s four-year tenure as England’s Test coach ended after the team’s 2–1 home series defeat to New Zealand. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said it believes the time is right to make a change ahead of next year’s Ashes, although McCullum will remain as head coach of England’s ODI and T20I teams.

Dravid in the mix

The report describes Dravid as an attractive candidate due to his astute coaching style and extensive experience across all formats.

The 53-year-old inspected one of the India’s most successful recent stagesGuiding the team to the 2024 T20 World Cup title and the 2023 World Test Championship final. His work with the India senior team and age-group teams has earned him widespread praise for player development and long-term planning.

However, reports state that Dravid is not keen to return to a full-time coaching role.

The Daily Telegraph reported, “Dravid has no desire to take up coaching full-time, but the England Test job would give him the chance to stay at home longer and help keep his favorite format of the game alive. At the very least, England should assess his interest.”

other candidates

former zimbabwe captain andy flowers It is understood that he is one of the strong contenders for this role. Flower remains England’s most successful coach in the modern era, leading the team to three Ashes series wins and the No. 1 Test ranking.

He has also made excellent records in franchise cricket including Back-to-back IPL titles with Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Richard Dawson, currently the head coach of Glamorgan, remains controversial in county cricket despite earning a reputation as a tactically astute coach.

The names of Sri Lanka great Kumar Sangakkara, England Lions coach Andrew Flintoff, Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson and former Australia coach Justin Langer are also being considered as England begin the search for a new Test coach ahead of the crucial Ashes cycle, the report said.

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