Michael Hussey reveals VVS Laxman approached him in 2015 to be India coach

Former Australian star batsman Michael Hussey has revealed that he was approached by Indian batting great VVS Laxman to take over Duncan Fletcher as the next coach of the Indian cricket team.

Hussey, who retired from international cricket in 2013, was asked by Laxman to consider the job in IPL 2015. Laxman, who is a part of the BCCI advisory panel, indulged in a heart-to-heart conversation with the former Aussie cricketer to lure him for the job.

However, Hussey did not accept it. The 40-year-old Aussie batsman mentioned that he wanted to spend more time with his family and also added that he felt he did not have the credentials to be the head coach of an international cricket team.

"VVS accepted that I was not interested because of family reasons. But he would not accept my feeling that I was not up to standard for a job like that," Hussey was quoted by PTI, as writing in his book 'Winning Edge.' [Laxman said] 'You have played the game very well for a long time, you know what needs to be done, you shouldn't doubt yourself'," Hussey added.

"I replied that coaching individuals within a team is one thing and perhaps I could do that right now. But, I said, these days coaching is not just about coaching players. It's about dealing with boards, sponsors, business owners, investors, officials, all sorts of people outside the team environment." 

"It's a very complex job that requires numerous skills that have little or nothing to do with cricket," Hussey gave a detailed explanation.

As of now, former Indian cricketer Ravi Shastri has taken the hat of a caretaker manager-cum-team director of the national side. The role was given to him after Fletcher parted ways with the India cricket team at the end of the ICC World Cup 2015.

Shastri's contract with the team in that position, however, will expire at the end of the ICC World T20 2016.

Former Indian cricket superstars Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly have been strongly linked to become the next India coach. However, they have themselves withdrawn from taking up the top job.

'It's still early days in my coaching career and I am learning. Shorter assignments suit me well," Dravid told NDTV, Tuesday.

Ganguly, who is also the president of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), cited his hectic schedule as a major obstacle in considering the India coach job. "I really don't know as I have got another job to do at the moment. I am actually running the cricket [as CAB president]. You can't do both at the same time." 

"You have to see where life goes. At the present moment, 'No' [to coaching] as I am an administrator with responsibilities of running the game," Ganguly was quoted by IANS in February.