Delay in Gautam Gambhir's Appointment or Salary Negotiations

Gautam Gambhir and the BCCI are in the "final stages of salary negotiations." The moment his remuneration is finalised, the BCCI will make the announcement. Gambhir is expected to draw a higher salary than the previous coach, Rahul Dravid, whose yearly remuneration was around ₹12 crore. The BCCI's advertisement for the head coach position mentioned that the salary is “negotiable and will be commensurate with experience.”

Gambhir was one of only two applicants who went through the interview process conducted by the Cricket Advisory Committee, comprising Ashok Malhotra, Jatin Paranjape, and Sulakshana Naik. WV Raman was the other applicant. Multiple reports suggest that Gambhir is certain to be India's next head coach, but the finalisation is pending due to the salary negotiations.

This will be Gambhir's first assignment on a national level. He has never been associated as the head coach of any team. His only coaching experience has been in the IPL, where he was the mentor of the Lucknow Super Giants and later with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Gambhir was seen shooting a farewell video for KKR at the Eden Gardens, signalling the premature end of his second innings at the franchise.

Currently, the Indian side in Zimbabwe is playing under the guidance of NCA head VVS Laxman. BCCI secretary Jay Shah has confirmed that India will travel to Sri Lanka for a white-ball series with a new head coach.

The tenures of batting coach Vikram Rathour, bowling coach Paras Mhambrey, and fielding coach T Dilip ended after the T20 World Cup in the USA and the West Indies. The BCCI will soon invite applications for the team’s support staff. Gambhir will reportedly be given a free hand to choose his support staff after the application process is completed.

In summary, the delay in Gambhir's appointment is primarily due to finalising salary negotiations. Once this is settled, the BCCI will officially announce his role as the new head coach. The transition is also being managed by interim arrangements and the preparation for appointing new support staff.