England Test Coach: Ravichandran Ashwin has been linked to becoming England’s new Test coach following the exit of Brendon McCullum from the position. The former Indian spinner, having retired from all forms of International cricket in December 2024, has kept himself busy since then by making YouTube videos while playing a few games here and there. He played his last season in the Indian Premier League in 2025 with the Chennai Super Kings.
England sacks Brendon McCullum
Following Brendon McCullum’s exit as the England Test coach, the role turned out to be one of the most talked-about spots in the world of cricket, and now that the vacancy is confirmed, the ECB will need to have a candidate in place pretty quickly, as the Australia series is due next winter and they are only just one month away with the Pakistan tour.
Will Ravichandran Ashwin become England’s new Test coach?
On social media, Ravichandran Ashwin, who has never held a formal coaching position and is India’s second-most prolific Test wicket-taker, is being mentioned as a potential contender for the newly vacated role of England Test coach. The former off-spinner has one of the brightest minds in the cricketing world and could become a coach in the near future.
However, it is likely that England would want to go ahead with a candidate who has experience as a coach. Ashwin, who only retired a year and a half ago, has not coached any franchise, let alone a national team.
In the IPL, he captained Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) in 2018 and 2019. In those two seasons, the Punjab franchise won 12 of their 28 games under Ashwin’s leadership, with a win percentage of only 42.85.
Why is Ravichandran Ashwin being linked to England’s Test coach role?
EXCLUSIVE: THE NEW ENGLAND TEST COACH ⏳
– There have been talks for some time regarding England’s red ball job & Ravichandran Ashwin could well be in line. Sources say some meetings also happened in the US recently. pic.twitter.com/bK6Zd1jIkR
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) July 12, 2026
After Brendon McCullum was sacked from his position as England Test coach, Ravichandran Ashwin’s name was thrown into the discussion as one of the potential contenders for the role. A social media post that has now gone viral claimed that the England Cricket Board (ECB) held meetings with the former off-spinner to become the new Test coach for their senior Men’s side.
Ravichandran Ashwin as a test cricketer
Ravichandran Ashwin retired as the second-highest wicket-taker for India in the longest format. In 106 Test matches, the right-arm off-spinner picked up 537 wickets. During his career, Ashwin played 24 tests against England and picked up 114 wickets against them. As a batter, his best came against them, scoring over 1000 runs in 38 innings, averaging close to 33.
