Abhishek Nayar Sacked As Team India Batting Coach: Insiders Expose The Real Reason Behind The Axe

[rollingstoned]

Abhishek Nayar Sacked As Team India Batting Coach: Insiders Expose The Real Reason Behind The Axe

 

In a significant shake-up within the Indian men’s cricket team, key support staff members Abhishek Nayar, T. Dilip, and Soham Desai are likely to be removed from their roles.

 

 

Abhishek Nayar Sacked As Team India Batting Coach: Insiders Expose The Real Reason Behind The Axe

 

In a significant shake-up within the Indian men’s cricket team, key support staff members Abhishek Nayar, T. Dilip, and Soham Desai are likely to be removed from their roles.

 

 

Along with the trio, a masseur who has been working with the national team for a couple of years is also expected to be relieved of duties, according to sources close to the matter.

Shift Towards a Leaner Support Staff Structure

Nayar, who joined as assistant coach in July last year after parting ways with Kolkata Knight Riders, was seen as a progressive influence, especially in white-ball cricket.

Meanwhile, Dilip and Desai have been around since late 2021 and 2020 respectively, contributing to India’s victorious 2025 Champions Trophy campaign in Dubai — an unbeaten run that marked a high point in their tenure.

 

However, voices within the Board seem to have questioned the necessity of such an expansive coaching group.

“Some people in the Board had been saying about what’s the point of having so many people in men’s team support staff, especially after the debacle of Test series defeat in Australia. They had this view that with so many coaches there, the support staff of the men’s team gave a crowded look,” sources told a leading news agency.

Another insider clarified that the move wasn’t necessarily a critique of individual performance.

“So, this can’t be called sacking, it’s just about giving the support staff a lean look. Also, this can’t make the likes of Nayar, Dilip and Desai as good or bad coaches, because they still have a lot more to offer to Indian cricket and shaping its future players.”

Contributions That Won’t Be Forgotten

Nayar’s approach had been highly appreciated by several batters, including KL Rahul, who credited him with helping drive a mental shift that improved performances in limited-overs formats.

Dilip, on the other hand, was lauded for elevating the team’s fielding standards, playing a silent but crucial role behind India’s recent on-field successes.

The masseur who is reportedly being removed had been a constant presence in the dressing room setup for a number of years.

Who’s Stepping In?

According to sources, Sitanshu Kotak will now take full charge of batting duties, while Ryan ten Doeschate is expected to handle fielding responsibilities.

Doeschate, notably, served as fielding coach at KKR under Gautam Gambhir’s mentorship and will now reunite with him in the Indian team’s camp.

As for strength and conditioning, Adrian Le Roux has emerged as the frontrunner to replace Soham Desai. Currently associated with Punjab Kings in the IPL, Le Roux previously held a long-term role at KKR and even served the Indian team between 2002 and 2003.

Looking ahead, India’s next challenge will be a demanding five-match Test series in England, beginning June 20.

[rollingstoned]

Gautam Gambhir didn't oppose Abhishek Nayar's sacking, senior batters were not happy with his role in dressing room

 

The Gautam Gambhir and Abhishek Nayar partnership, which worked wonders in KKR, didn't quite click in the Indian dressing room for reasons unknown.

India head coach Gautam Gambhir, who played an active role in the appointment of Abhishek Nayar as a member of his support staff, was not satisfied with the former all-rounder's performance and did not oppose the BCCI's decision to end his contract prematurely. Sources privy to the developments told Hindustan Times that the Gambhir-Nayar partnership, which worked wonders in Kolkata Knight Riders, playing a pivotal role in ending their 10-year-long wait for an IPL title, didn't quite click in the Indian dressing room for reasons unknown.

 

India head coach Gautam Gambhir (R) with assistant coach Abhishek Nayar(BCCI)

 

What didn't help Nayar's cause was his inability to form a strong bond with some of the senior members of the team. From a distance, this seems hard to believe as the former India all-rounder has worked with many of the top cricketers like Dinesh Karthik, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer and Varun Chakaravarthy, helping them improve their game on a personal capacity. In certain cases, like Karthik and Chakavarthy's, Nayar was instrumental in the resurgence of their careers. Karthik, in fact, handpicked Nayar as the assistant coach when he was the KKR captain.

 

 

"The board officials took feedback from senior cricketers and some were not happy with Nayar's role inside the dressing room. He was informed about the non-renewal of his contract a few days ago," a BCCI source told Hindustan Times.

Nayar, a stalwart in Mumbai cricket, who has represented India in three ODIs, was appointed as the assistant coach of Team India on Gambhir's recommendation. It's an unwritten rule in BCCI that the head coach gets to choose his support staff. It stayed the same when Gambhir was appointed as Rahul Dravid's replacement after India won the T20 World Cup.

Apart from Nayar, Gambhir recommended Ryan ten Doeschate for the fielding coach and Morne Morkel as the bowling coach. The senior cricketers and the board members were happy with fielding coach T Dilip's performance and as his contract was still not over, he was given an extension. That is where the problems germinated.

 

The only way the board could accommodate Gambhir's recommendations and also keep Dilip as the fielding coach was to create an extra position. Hence, for the first time in the history of Indian cricket, a head coach got two designated assistant coaches - Nayar and ten Doeschate.

According to Gambhir's original recommendation, Nayar was supposed to be the designated batting coach.

The board started to monitor the support staff's role and performance closely after India suffered an embarrassing first-ever Test series whitewash at home, when New Zealand blanked them 3-0.

The Australia tour was the acid test. Once India lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 1-3 where most of the batters barring KL Rahul, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Yashasvi Jaiswal faltered, it was always going to be difficult for Gambhir to hold on to his support staff.

Gambhir didn't oppose Nayar's sacking; Sitangshu Kotak to continue as batting coach

The writing was on the wall when BCCI, after a review meeting with Gambhir and captain Rohit Sharma, appointed Sitangshu Kotak as the batting coach. Kotak, who was with the NCA, joined the team in the white-ball home series against England and also travelled with the team for the Champions Trophy.

Gambhir had no objection when the board decided to trim his support staff. "Gambhir didn't oppose (to Nayar's sacking). He had to go through a lot of negotiations to bring ten Doechate and Morkel on board. There was no way he was going to let them go this early," the source added.

It is understood that Kotak will continue as the batting coach, while the designation of assistant coach is likely to be dissolved, as ten Doeschate will shift to the fielding coach's role, as Dilip's contract has also ended.

[Ultimate_Game]

We also need to sack whoever our fielding coach is. And bring back Bharat Arun as bowling coach 

[Suhaan]

Nayar i believed did well with our loi batting and approach

Why BCCI can't have two different coaches for test and lois when both of these sides will /should look quite different going forward?

 

[Gollum]

Soft target.

[Suhaan]

.... deleted

Edited April 18, 2025 by Suhaan

[BacktoCricaddict]

2 hours ago, Gollum said:

Soft target.

This whole "lean" thing seems fishy.

 

Fire Nayar - replace with Kotak.

Fire Dilip - replace with 10-dos

Fire Desai - replace with LeRoux

 

Like for like. One to one. What am I missing?

[BacktoCricaddict]

9 hours ago, rollingstoned said:

 

 

 

Abhishek Nayar Sacked As Team India Batting Coach: Insiders Expose The Real Reason Behind The Axe

 

 

 

Bhai Gauti, shoe-polish dye khatm ho gaya kya?

 

Aankhon ke upar dekha toh jawaan Gambhir nazar aaya.

Aankhon ke neeche dekha? 

Aankhon ke neeche dekha toh ...  saalaa ... Gambhir nahin ... Gandalf nazar aaya.

Edited April 18, 2025 by BacktoCricaddict

[Ultimate_Game]

By the way what can any coach do when we have two walking wkts in the top 4. Rohit averaging 10 across NZ and Aus series and Kohli averaging 30 over the last 5-6 years. What can any coaching do with batters like these?

 

At some point players have to be held accountable, especially the repeat offenders who haven't done anything in years and are close to hitting 40 years in age.

[jf1gp_1]

I agree with the base point that we have an overcrowded support staff. Maybe Ajit felt Australia was a case of too many cooks , which does create confusion, forget cricket i see it at work. 

[The Realist]

"A masseur who has been working with the national team for a couple of years is also expected to be relieved of duties, according to sources"

 

Ishant Sharma or Yuv Chahal?

@vvvslaxman @maniac @velu

[tapandrun]

BCCI is trying to work out a system of rewarding the ppl from the system, work in nca for couple of years and then get promoted to Ind team team and then work with them under a former Ind star who understands the star culture and politcs of Ind side.

 

Gambhir tried to bring his own staff and now bcci is removing them to the ones from nca, they can not do anything with Morkel but any Ind staff is dispensable.

Also the TM would have been mbai heavy so might have wanted to bring some1 else out side the group- Agarkar, Nayar, Rohit.

 

 

[rkt.india]

On 4/19/2025 at 2:39 AM, BacktoCricaddict said:

This whole "lean" thing seems fishy.

 

Fire Nayar - replace with Kotak.

Fire Dilip - replace with 10-dos

Fire Desai - replace with LeRoux

 

Like for like. One to one. What am I missing?

Dieschate was assistant coach who now will be fielding coach.

[rkt.india]

On 4/19/2025 at 5:06 AM, Ultimate_Game said:

By the way what can any coach do when we have two walking wkts in the top 4. Rohit averaging 10 across NZ and Aus series and Kohli averaging 30 over the last 5-6 years. What can any coaching do with batters like these?

 

At some point players have to be held accountable, especially the repeat offenders who haven't done anything in years and are close to hitting 40 years in age.

Senior players ko girlfriend bana ke rakha hua hai BCCI ne. Players aren't happy, sack kumble, sack natar. Performance zero.

[tapandrun]

19 minutes ago, rkt.india said:

Senior players ko girlfriend bana ke rakha hua hai BCCI ne. Players aren't happy, sack kumble, sack natar. Performance zero.

Apart from Rohit, kolhi or may be bhumrah do no think any1 else would have that big of a say in this matter if there is any.

 

[Ultimate_Game]

9 hours ago, rkt.india said:

Senior players ko girlfriend bana ke rakha hua hai BCCI ne. Players aren't happy, sack kumble, sack natar. Performance zero.

 

Accountability is only for some assistant coaches. The star players who can't even perform in Ranji trophy are not the issue as per the gutless selectors and BCCI.