Gautam Gambhir, the newly-appointed head coach of the Indian cricket team, is all set to have fresh support staff, as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed the departure of batting coach Vikram Rathour, bowling coach Paras Mhambrey, and fielding coach T. Dilip.
After announcing Gambhir as India’s new head coach on July 9, the the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) congratulated the trio of Rathour, Mhambrey, and Dilip for a highly successful tenure with the Indian cricket team.
Gautam Gambhir to shakes up Team India’s coaching staff
The BCCI also thanked Rahul Dravid for nurturing young talent and guiding Indian cricket team to three finals in three ICC tournaments in the past 7-8 months, and winning the T20 World Cup 2024 in the USA and West Indies.
Well, it is almost confirmed that Rathour and Mhambrey will not be part of Team India’s coaching staff in the Gambhir era, as the new head coach has already expressed his desire to have Abhishek Nayar as batting coach and Vinay Kumar as bowling coach in his coaching arsenal.
However, Gambhir has reportedly had no issue working with Dilip for the Indian cricket team. It is being said that Gambhir initially suggested legendary South African cricketer Jonty Rhodes’ name for the fielding coach’s role, but now he is ready to retain Dilip as India’s fielding coach.
T Dilip likely to be retained as Team India’s fielding coach
A Cricbuzz report claimed that T. Dilip is likely to be retained as the fielding coach under Gambhir’s era. However, Dilip has not yet made any comment regarding his ouster or re-applying for the role. Regarding the appointment of the new bowling coach, the BCCI has not yet made a final decision.
Sources suggested that the BCCI and Gambhir are looking at Lakshmipathy Balaji and Vinay Kumar for the role, as the former Indian opener already worked with both of them at KKR. However, BCCI might prefer a more prominent candidate who has a rich history of mentoring young bowlers.
Furthermore, the Cricbuzz report claimed that Abhishek Nayar, the former Mumbai all-rounder and current KKR batting coach, is likely to step into the role of India’s batting coach, replacing Vikram Rathour.
However, Nayar might serve as an assistant coach rather than exclusively focusing on batting coaching duties, and Gambhir himself could assume responsibilities as the batting coach as well.
Gautam Gambhir denied accompanying Indian team on Zimbabwe tour by BCCI!!
Notably, the former KKR mentor was unanimously chosen as India’s head coach by the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), comprising Mr. Ashok Malhotra, Mr. Jatin Paranjpe, and Ms. Sulakshana Naik.
On the other hand, a Sports Tak report claimed that Gambhir wanted to travel with the Shubman Gill-led second-string India team for the Zimbabwe tour, but BCCI denied his request.
The BCCI sent National Cricket Academy (NCA) head VVS Laxman with a young Indian side for the ongoing five-match T20I series in Zimbabwe. Gambhir’s tenure as India’s head coach will begin with the upcoming three-match T20I series, followed by as many ODIs on the Sri Lanka tour.