Amidst the ongoing interview for the Team India head coach role, former Pakistan wicketkeeper batter Kamran Akmal has advised the Board of Control For Cricket in India (BCCI) to appoint Ashish Nehra or Zaheer Khan as the bowling coach.

Incidentally, Nehra had earlier rejected the offer of becoming the Team India bowling coach, as per multiple media reports. However, Akmal believes that it will be a great combination to get one of the former Team India bowling stars on board along with Gautam Gambhir as the Team India head coach.

“Team India doesn’t need any foreign coaches. They have plenty of options and talent. After Dravid, no one can be the best and bigger than Gautam Gambhir. He was a big player and will become a great coach too. He is the best option India have right now,” Akmal was quoted as saying by Times of India.

“Gambhir was with Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). They did really well under him. He became a mentor of KKR and they became champions. He is an amazing planner and has a brilliant cricketing mind. I have played a lot of cricket with him. We have been together for a long time. We played, had food, and had chats together. We are still good friends. We are still in touch,” he said.

“He is the best man to coach Team India. He should be the head coach. India can go for Ashish Nehra or Zaheer Khan as bowling coach,” Kamran added.

Gambhir is the frontrunner for the Team India head coach role. He recently led Kolkata Knight Riders to the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 title as the mentor and has been the favorite of BCCI secretary Jay Shah for the role.