Last Updated on 10 months by Charbel Coorey
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) coach Justin Langer has come for criticism after leaking comments made to him by KL Rahul regarding the Indian cricket team. Speaking on BBC Stumped, Langer revealed why he wouldn’t put his hand up for the India coaching job thanks to Rahul’s comments.
“I know that it’s an all-encompassing role and having done it for four years with the Australian team, it’s exhausting,” Langer said.
“I was talking to KL Rahul and he said, ‘You know, if you think there’s pressure and politics in an IPL team, multiply that by a thousand, [that’s] coaching India. That was a good bit of advice, I guess.”
“It would be an awesome job, but not for me at the moment.”
Opinion: KL Rahul comments to Justin Langer should have remained private
Whether you believe Rahul is right or wrong in his view of the Indian team, it was ultimately a private conversation between he and Langer. For the LSG coach to then make those comments public and name the player in question was out of line.
It would be fascinating to know if Rahul is concerned with the comments going public or not. Rahul himself may see this as a breach of trust and put his relationship with Langer in jeopardy. If he is, there’s every chance he’ll get in contact with Langer and ask for a please explain.
The comments could put Rahul in hot water with those in the Indian hierarchy and harm any future prospects of him getting back into the India team in the future in any format.
“I was talking to KL Rahul and he said, ‘You know, if you think there’s pressure and politics in an IPL team, multiply that by a thousand, [that’s] coaching India. That was a good bit of advice, I guess.”
Justin Langer on KL Rahul
So, what are your thoughts on Langer’s comments? Was it fine to put them out to the public or should he have kept it private?
Langer and fellow Australian Ricky Ponting have put themselves out of the running for the India coaching job. The BCCI confirmed that the role will be available after Rahul Dravid departs following the T20 World Cup. It will run from July 2024 until December 2027 across three formats.
