Sourav Ganguly
Sourav Ganguly has been one of India's finest captain. Photo: BCCI/Arjun Panwar/IPL/SPORTZPICS

Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly has been linked with coaching job for the men in blue, as the spot has been left vacant after Duncan Fletcher's term ended after the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

The Zimbabwean was never a popular figure like former foreign coaches John Wright and Gary Kirsten, who were both successful. The latter was the one who recommended Fletcher to BCCI for the prestigious job in Indian cricket.

Though, the Indian Premier League may be in full swing, the BCCI may be gradually working on options on who could coach the Indian team. In the recent past, it is foreign coaches who have donned the Indian hat, but with a number of Indian cricketers in the fray, it would be no surprise if an Indian cricketer gets the new role.

Sourav Ganguly is the frontrunner for the coveted job, while Rahul Dravid may also be a close contender.

Some reports have suggested that the former left hander has shown some interest in the job, but the Kolkata player said: "I am hearing this for the first time. I don't want to say anything on this. Let's not speculate. Don't jump the gun," according to The Times of India.

He was also reported to have talked about it to BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya.

But the elegant left-hander denies it and said, "No, who says all this? They (BCCI) haven't spoken to anyone and neither have I spoken to them. That's the truth and let's stick to that. I meet him (Dalmiya) every day because he is the president of Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) and I am the joint secretary of CAB."

Irrespective of what developments have taken place regarding the coaching job, Ganguly could be one of the best to take over the job, for he knows most of the players in the team at a personal level and the current players also have a lot of respect for the former skipper.

With foreign coaches, some Indian cricketers might have had problems of communication, but that should not be a cause of concern with Ganguly as he can communicate with such cricketers in Hindi as well.

But one cannot overrule the possibility of Rahul Dravid or Ravi Shastri taking over the job, especially the latter, who was the team director during the World Cup.