Ricky Ponting confirms being approached for India coaching job

Australia legend Ricky Ponting has revealed he was recently approached to replace Rahul Dravid as India's head coach.

With Dravid's time as India's head coach coming to an end and the BCCI on the lookout for a new person to take charge, Ponting is among a host of former greats to have been approached about the role.

After finishing his seventh season coaching the Delhi Capitals in the IPL, Ponting admitted he's been hesitant to take on a full-time national team role despite his previous coaching stints.

"I've seen a lot of reports about it,” 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.

"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."

Other names mentioned for the India coaching job include Justin Langer, Stephen Fleming, and Gautam Gambhir, but Ponting believes it’s unlikely he’ll take the role.

"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," Ponting noted.

"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 concluded.