The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has reportedly removed two of its coaching staff, assistant coach Abhishek Nayar and fielding coach T Dilip. BCCI has made sweeping changes to the Indian cricket team's support staff following a disappointing performance in the 2024–25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. India lost the Test series 3-1, marking their first series defeat in Australia in the last three tours.
Besides Nayar and Dilip, strength and conditioning coach Soham Desai is also on the way out with the men’s team set to have a new masseur as well going into the tour of England in June.
Although the team bounced back with white-ball series victories against England at home and went on to win the Champions Trophy 2025 in Dubai, these successes reportedly weren’t enough to secure the positions of certain support staff members.
Nayar, along with assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate and bowling coach Morne Morkel, had joined the coaching setup after Gautam Gambhir took charge as head coach.
This isn’t the first instance of BCCI revising the lineup of Gambhir’s preferred support staff. Earlier in January, Sitanshu Kotak, who was working with the National Cricket Academy and India A team, was brought in as India’s batting coach. While Dilip had been part of the team under former coach Rahul Dravid, Nayar had joined just nine months ago after Gambhir’s appointment. The report also mentions that Ryan ten Doeschate will now double up as the fielding coach following Dilip’s departure.
The decision to let go of Abhishek Nayar has raised eyebrows, particularly because he was brought on board based on strong endorsements from the current players, and his contract is valid until August. Nayar had previously been instrumental in developing young talent during his time with Kolkata Knight Riders.
As for T Dilip, his position had only been extended for a year by the BCCI. Dilip gained considerable attention for introducing the ‘fielding medal ceremony’ after matches during multi-nation tournaments.
Experts believe that the new-look support staff’s first major challenge will be the five-match Test series in England, beginning in June. Following India’s 1-3 defeat in Australia, the BCCI conducted a review meeting and subsequently introduced a new set of guidelines that all players are now expected to adhere to.
Another report claims that Adrian le Roux, the current sports scientist for Punjab Kings, will step in as the new strength and conditioning coach after the conclusion of IPL 2025.
Experts believe that the new-look support staff’s first major challenge will be the five-match Test series in England, beginning in June.
In a November interview, Sunil Gavaskar voiced his confusion regarding the structure of the current Indian coaching staff. The celebrated batsman questioned Abhishek Nayar’s official role within the setup and also pointed out the ambiguity surrounding Ryan Ten Doeschate’s position.
When informed that both Nayar and Ten Doeschate serve dual roles as assistant and batting coaches, Gavaskar couldn't help but laugh. He then called on head coach Gautam Gambhir to take a more hands-on approach in guiding the Indian batters, particularly when it comes to tackling the challenges of playing in Australia.
"For batting...what is the role of Abhishek Nayar in the team? Is he a batting coach or an assistant coach? Gambhir has scored a lot more runs than the two, so if he can step in and guide the players on how to bat in Australian conditions and the type of approach they should take, then we can probably perform better," Gavaskar said during a chat.