BCCI drills down Gautam Gambhir's Abhishek Nayar demand, pondering on handing this role to the KKR Coach

With Gautam Gambhir stepping in as the new head coach of the Indian cricket team, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is currently busy finalizing his support staff as Rahul Dravid and his assistants have completed their tenure with the national side.

The BCCI had already clearly said that they want coaching professionals who have achieved significant achievements in domestic cricket and the Indian Premier League (IPL), but Gambhir has now reportedly called for Ryan ten Doeschate’s inclusion in his backroom staff.

Gautam Gambhir calls for Ryan ten Doeschate’s inclusion in India's coaching staff, but BCCI wants to retain T Dilip

According to Cricbuzz, Ten Doeschate was among the names suggested by Gambhir to have on his coaching staff for Team India. Doeschate and Gambhir have already worked together for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL. He is currently serving as the fielding coach of the KKR side.

Well, the issue is that the BCCI is considering retaining at least one member of Rahul Dravid's coaching team, and he is none other than fielding coach T. Dilip. The Cricbuzz report claimed that the BCCI wants to retain Dilip as the fielding coach in Gambhir’s coaching staff for the Indian cricket team.

If this happens, Ten Doeschate may be appointed as an assistant coach, but Abhishek Nayar is also being considered for a similar assistant coach role rather than for a specialized batting coach role. The new head coach, Gambhir, is already firm on his decision to have Nayar in his coaching staff.

Gambhir and Nayar have worked together for KKR in the backroom staff, and the new coach was really impressed with the former Mumbai cricketer's work and dedication, who has emerged as one of the most successful and sought-after personal coaches and mentors in the Indian domestic circuit.

Abhishek Nayar almost certain of an assistant coach role in Gautam Gambhir's coaching team

Apart from sharing the KKR dressing room with Gambhir, Nayar is a close friend of India captain Rohit Sharma, and these equations could work in his favor. He also helped Rohit and Dinesh Karthik to find their real rhythm. If the BCCI ultimately decides to bring ten Doeschate on board, some adjustments may be required to bring in Nayar on the board.

While no final decision has been made yet, Cricbuzz claimed that the discussions are actively in progress. With Dilip almost certain to retain his position as India’s fielding coach, it remains to see who will win the race for the assistant coach’s post between Nayar and the Dutch star, as Gambhir is keen to double up his role by taking over as the batting coach as well.

Gambhir may have to leave batting coach desire if he wants both ten Doeschate and Nayar in his coaching team, with the BCCI set to take the call soon. Should ten Doeschate join the Indian cricket team coaching staff, the KKR will lose at least three members of the coaching staff that contributed to their IPL 2024 victory.

Zaheer Khan emerges as frontrunner for India's bowling coach role

On the other hand, the role of bowling coach is yet to be finalized, but the Times of India claimed that the former pacer Zaheer Khan is on the BCCI’s radar for the role in Gambhir’s era. Zaheer was an integral part of Mumbai Indians' coaching staff.

The BCCI and Gambhir are reportedly considering Lakshmipathy Balaji and Vinay Kumar, both of whom have previously worked with the new head coach at KKR, for the bowling coach role, but the board is also keen on having an expert who has a track record of grooming the young pacers. Given that the BCCI is interested in hiring Zaheer as India’s bowling coach.