Asked About Replacing Rahul Dravid As India Coach, AB de Villiers Says “Think I’ll Enjoy…”

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has intensified its hunt for the men’s national team’s new head coach. With Rahul Dravid‘s contract set to end after the conclusion of the T20 World Cup 2024, several names have been linked with the job, including the likes of Ricky Ponting, Justin Langer, Stephen Fleming and even Andy Flower. Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers was also asked about the possibility of replacing Dravid and he admitted that coaching is a role that excites him.

“I absolutely have no idea. I do think I’ll enjoy coaching. I think there are certain elements I won’t enjoy as much, which I will have to learn. With time, anything is possible and I can think on my feet and learn as I move on,” De Villiers told News18.

“But I think there are elements of a coaching job that I’ll enjoy a lot. Things that I’ve learned over the years, the maturity that I’ve got now at the age of 40, looking back, a lot of things look a lot clearer when I look back at my career. So those kinds of learnings could be valuable for some younger players, even some senior players,” De Villiers said.

Though De Villiers wants to get into coaching, he isn’t sure if this is the right time for him to take up the role of a team’s head coach. Coaching, as a job profile, is enticing for De Villiers but he isn’t ready to fulfil the big void that Dravid will be leaving in the Indian team at the moment.

“And I would love to work with some players and some teams in that regard. As a full-time head coach, that’s not something that comes to mind as of yet. It’s not something that really appeals to me now. But as I said, never say never. Down the line, things might change,” he explained.