Cricket News: Contenders to succeed Rahul Dravid as India's head coach

However, it is safe to say that things have stayed the same under Rahul Dravid's tutelage.

There is also a school of thought that, in recent times, things have gotten worse. 

Players have come and gone for no good reason; the squad appears disjointed and bloated, and India's record in multi-nation tournaments remains poor. 

Under Dravid, they lost out on Asia Cup glory and failed to make it beyond the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup once again. 

It's led to talk among fans and experts that maybe his position isn't tenable, and there is a school of thought that he could be replaced as coach. 

But who exactly could step into the job of coaching India? Here's a look at a few potential candidates. 

VVS Laxman – The man who took over Dravid's role as India junior and India A coach as well as the head of the National Cricket Academy (NCA), Laxman would, in many ways, be the first person considered for the job if the BCCI was keen to make a change. 

It helps considerably that he is already worked with the senior team, filling in for Dravid whenever the Board sees fit to give the head coach a break between tours. However, there is an element of risk involved here too. 

Laxman is, in many ways, seen as a safe option, and that has been true of his coaching career so far as well. The few matches he has been in charge of have seen India take a conservative, safety-first approach – which is precisely what needs to change in the first place. 

Ashish Nehra – This would represent a left-of-field appointment for India, but it would bring some much-needed impetus to the Indian team should the Board go this route. 

Nehra has impressed considerably with the temporary job he'she's done at the Gujarat Titans. If he were appointed, he would likely be kept as the white-ball coach – and would help India move towards a split-coaching formula that has worked so well for England. 

Given Nehra brings a modern approach, new ideas, and even some young blood to the coaching staff, he would be a sensible appointment. But it is also possible that he would be rejected for these reasons. 

Justin Langer – This might seem like another left-of-field option. Still, it would make a lot of sense on paper, mainly due to Langer's rather impressive CV as Australia's head coach. 

When he was brought in, Australia was still reeling from the after-effects of the Newlands ball-tampering saga and needed a cultural reset. Langer oversaw this, as well as a transition to two new captains – all while winning a T20 World Cup and the Ashes. 

He fell foul of internal dressing room strife, which might work against him when keeping in mind the politics in Indian cricket. But purely as a coach, he merits discussion for a very tough job.