With the appointment of Gautam Gambhir as India's new head coach, there has been much speculation over what the make-up of his staff will look like. Here, Wisden keeps you updated on the latest developments.
The former India opener was announced as Rahul Dravid's successor to the position of head coach for the men's national team earlier this week. Dravid's support staff of Vikram Rathour (batting coach), Paras Mhambrey (bowling coach) and T Dilip (fielding coach) also appear to be on their way out, as a BCCI media release thanked them for their contributions to the team.
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Gambhir is set to officially take charge of the team on their white-ball tour of Sri Lanka later this month, and various reports over the last few days have suggested which names are in the running to join him in the Indian setup.
Gambhir's most recent cricketing role was as mentor of the Kolkata Knight Riders, who won the 2024 IPL. Prior to that, he had operated in the same role for two years at Lucknow Super Giants.
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In both cases, Gambhir was not the official head coach. These were Andy Flower at LSG and Chandrakant Pandit at KKR, so whether the role of Indian head coach entails responsibilities he is not used to remains to be seen.
The announcement of Gautam Gambhir's coaching staff is likely to be made during his first press conference as India coach, on Monday (July 22). The press conference will start at 10 am IST.
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Last updated on July 22, 2024 (11am IST)
Nayar, Ten Doeschate, Bahutule confirmed
Aligning with reports, Abhishek Nayar, Ryan ten Doeschate and Sairaj Bahutule have been confirmed as part of the coaching staff by Gautam Gambhir during the Sri Lanka v India pre-series press conference.
Abhishek Nayar set to link up with Team India on July 22
As of July 9, the front-runner for the position of batting coach for India was Abhishek Nayar, a close associate of Gambhir from their time at KKR together. Nayar has worked closely with cricketers like Dinesh Karthik and Rohit Sharma, and is highly regarded in cricketing circles.
However, more recent reports have claimed that Nayar is likely to join the coaching staff as a general assistant coach, not specifically for batting. There have also been suggestions that Gambhir himself could take up the role of batting coach.
As of July 20, a report from Cricbuzz has stated that Abhishek Nayar will join the Indian team on Monday (July 22) ahead of their departure for Sri Lanka, with the designation of assistant coach, not specialist batting coach. He is currently conducting a coaching clinic for the Mumbai Ranji Trophy team.
Morne Morkel thought to be front-runner for role of bowling coach; Sairaj Bahutule to travel to Sri Lanka
Multiple names have been thrown up for the post of India's bowling coach. Former India and KKR pacer R Vinay Kumar was the first one, reportedly on Gambhir's recommendation but a report from ANI claimed he was not in the running.
Instead, the news agency has claimed that the BCCI is keen on India great Zaheer Khan, with whom Gambhir lifted the 2011 World Cup, to take up the role. Another ex-KKR pacer in the form of Lakshmipathy Balaji, is also a name in the mix.
A report from Cricbuzz dated July 12 has thrown up another candidate. South African Morne Morkel is reportedly also in the frame of things, and is said to have a good working relationship with Gambhir. The pair played together for KKR and was part of the LSG backroom staff in 2022 & 2023, where Morkel remained in 2024 as well.
Morkel is thought to be the front-runner for the position, according to Cricbuzz in a report dated July 20. There is no confirmation yet on whether he will be appointed, but the report does say the BCCI have held discussions with the South African regarding the position.
According to a Cricbuzz report from July 21, Morkel will not travel with the Indian team to Sri Lanka as he has travelled to Pretoria to be with his father, who is unwell. Former India international Sairaj Bahutule, currently working with the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru, will accompany the team as an interim bowling coach.
The report also says Morkel could be appointed ahead of India's home series against Bangladesh in September.
Ryan ten Doeschate to join as assistant coach, T Dilip to continue as fielding coach - reports
Despite the BCCI thanking India's outgoing support staff, it appears one member from the previous regime could be retained. T Dilip is reportedly set to continue as India's fielding coach, as of July 20.
Another candidate, recommended by Gambhir, is former Dutch international Ryan ten Doeschate. Ten Doeschate represented KKR from 2011-2015, and served as the team's fielding coach in IPL 2024. Gambhir has praised him publicly in the past, claiming the Dutchman "taught him selflessness".
Cricbuzz's report from July 20 says that like Nayar, ten Doeschate will join India as an assistant coach, rather than a specialist coach. However, he is unlikely to travel with the team from India. He may join them in Colombo directly from USA, where he is coaching LA Knight Riders in Major League Cricket.
No official announcements have been made so far, other than the appointment of Gambhir as head coach.
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