Abhishek Nayar to step in as India's batting coach, but BCCI turns down Gautam Gambhir's bowling coach request

In a not-so-surprising development, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has appointed Gautam Gambhir as the new head coach of the Indian cricket team. Gambhir succeeded Rahul Dravid as Indian head coach after his tenure ended with the T20 World Cup 2024 triumph.

After Gambhir’s appointment as India’s head coach, the former Indian batting coach Vikram Rathour and bowling coach Paras Mhambrey will be replaced by fresh names, as the 2011 World Cup hero doesn’t want to work with the duo, demanding his own choice of support staff from the Indian cricket board.

Gautam Gambhir wants Abhishek Nayar and Vinay Kumar as his assistants

Gambhir has reportedly asked the BCCI to have Abhishek Nayar as the batting coach and Vinay Kumar as the bowling coach for Team India. Gambhir recently worked with Nayar for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), and they helped the franchise clinch the IPL 2024 title.

Nayar, a former India and Mumbai batter, recently tasted success as a batting coach with KKR, as well as overseeing the KKR academy as its head. Known for his sharp acumen in identifying and nurturing batting talent, Nayar has been instrumental in the resurgence of players like Dinesh Karthik and Rinku Singh.

Nayar had also helped Indian captain Rohit Sharma when he was struggling and shared a close bond with him, so it could help in a smooth transition under Gambhir's leadership. On the other hand, Vinay Kumar, who has represented India across all formats, brings a wealth of experience and a keen eye for emerging talent.

The Karnataka stalwart, who led Karnataka to back-to-back Ranji Trophy titles in 2014 and 2015, is Gambhir’s favorite to replace Paras Mhambrey as Team India’s bowling coach. However, BCCI has yet to make its decision on Gambhir’s demands.

BCCI set to appoint Abhishek Nayar as batting coach but rejects Gautam Gambhir's push for Vinay Kumar

Now, a Jagran News report claims that Abhishek Nayar is highly likely to replace Vikram Rathour as Team India’s batting coach, but the BCCI is unlikely to accept Gambhir’s demand to appoint Vinay as the bowling coach after the support staff’s contract ended with Dravid’s tenure.

The Jagran News reporter also claimed that India’s fielding coach T. Dilip’s job is safe under Gambhir’s leadership, but the BCCI is looking at someone else for the bowling coach role instead of Vinay Kumar.

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Meanwhile, the BCCI confirmed that Rathour, Mhambrey, and Dilip’s tenure as India's batting coach, bowling coach, and fielding coach respectively ended with Dravid after India's T20 World Cup 2024 triumph.

The BCCI said in a statement: “The Board congratulates Mr. Paras Mhambrey (Bowling Coach), Mr. T. Dilip (Fielding Coach), and Mr. Vikram Rathour (Batting Coach) on a highly successful tenure. The BCCI values their contribution and wishes them the best going forward.”

Notably, Gambhir doesn’t have experience coaching at the international or Ranji levels but has found success with IPL franchises. He served as the mentor for the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for a couple of years, helping them reach the IPL playoffs. Returning to the KKR, Gambhir played a key role in guiding them to another IPL title earlier this year.