Abhishek Nayar close to being appointed Team India batting coach; T Dilip to be retained as fielding coach - Reports
Newly appointed Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir is. set to be reunited with his franchise coaching staff. The BCCI are reportedly finalizing Abhishek Nayar's appointment as batting coach. The duo were recently part of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) coaching setup that guided the franchise to their third Indian Premier League (IPL) title.
Abhishek Nayar has a close working relationship with several Indian players, including the likes of Dinesh Karthik and Rohit Sharma. The former all-rounder made three appearances for the national team in 2009. His first-class career lasted until 2018 before transitioning into coaching with the KKR. He has even served as the head coach of Trinbago Knight Riders in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL).
According to a report by Abhishek Tripathi of the Dainik Jagran, the management are considering continuing with T Dilip as the fielding coach. The improvement in the department coupled with the inception of the fielding medal scheme has tipped the scales in his favor as no alternatives are being considered.
The same report mentions that Gambhir has asked for former India bowler Vinay Kumar to be included in the revamped coaching staff as the new bowling coach. However, the BCCI are yet to green-light the decision and are considering one more alternative candidate before finalizing the appointment.
Gambhir's appointment as Team India coach was finalized on Tuesday, July 9. The former India opener takes over from Rahul Dravid and officially begins his reign with the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka.
Team India saw a similar transition in coaching staff in 2021
During Team India's last coaching transition in 2021, Rahul Dravid took over from Ravi Shastri. He brought over his own set of staff from the National Cricket Academy (NCA), where he served as director. Paras Mhambrey and T Dilip had taken over from Bharat Arun and R Sridhar as new bowling and fielding coaches respectively.
Vikram Rathour was the sole member of the Shastti coaching setup that remained in the mix when Dravid took over. He remained with the side in the next cycle as well, overseeing the process of ingraining the modern approach into the players.