​Why Ravichandran Ashwin Is Being Linked to England’s Test Coach Job: Could It Happen? Originally Appeared on Cricket News. Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here. Unverified social posts have connected Ashwin, India’s second-highest Test wicket-taker and a player with no professional coaching experience, to the vacant England Test coaching role. No major media outlet has corroborated the claim, and Ashwin has never coached at a professional level. Andy Flower remains the strong favorite, with the Daily Mail listing him as the leading candidate.
The moment Brendon McCullum’s departure from the England Test position was confirmed, the vacancy became one of the most scrutinized jobs in world cricket. With a home Ashes series slated to begin in roughly a year, the England and Wales Cricket Board has about a month to appoint a successor before the Pakistan series kicks off. Into this hot-seat conversation has stepped an unexpected name. Ravichandran Ashwin, India’s prolific Test wicket-taker who has not held any professional coaching role, has been floated as a potential candidate across social media. The claim, however, carries no mainstream backing.
The origin is traced to two online posts that have circulated widely. One post, from the account CricCrazyJohns, presented it as an exclusive scoop: “EXCLUSIVE: THE NEW ENGLAND TEST COACH,” it claimed, noting that discussions about England’s red-ball job had been ongoing and that Ashwin could be in line, with sources suggesting some meetings occurred in the United States. A subsequent post from Sports Yaari simply asked whether Ashwin would coach England in Tests, a question that spread quickly through Indian cricket circles. Neither outlet identified credible sources, and no recognized cricket publication has supported any part of the narrative.
Yet there is a thread of logic some observers point to. Ashwin retired from international cricket in December 2024 and exited the IPL last August. Cricbuzz has previously reported that he is exploring player-cum-coach opportunities in overseas T20 leagues, including The Hundred. Ashwin’s cricket IQ is widely acknowledged. His YouTube channel has made him one of the most astute tactical analysts in the game, and his 537 Test wickets—roughly 90 of them against England—underscore a deep technical grasp of the format that few other candidates can match.
Despite the chatter, the continent of reality remains stark. The Daily Mail has reported that Andy Flower is the front-runner for the post and that he would likely accept the role only if allowed to continue with IPL commitments with Royal Challengers Bangalore to safeguard his schedule and engagement with the franchise. For now, Ashwin’s name remains a speculative outlier in a process dominated by a more conventional, coaching-resume-based field pulled toward Flower or other seasoned coaches. The England job’s viability for an active cricketer-turned-coach like Ashwin is uncertain, and until a mainstream outlet substantiates any link, the notion should be treated as speculative at best.