Abhishek Nayar set to be part of Gambhir's coaching staff: Report

Less than 24 hours after Gautam Gambhir's appointment as the next India coach, it is understood that Abhishek Nayar will be roped in as part of the coaching staff, according to a report on Cricbuzz. Nayar and Gambhir recently worked closely with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, leading the franchise to their third title. Nayar, who played three One-Day Internationals (ODI) for India in 2009, is likely to takeover as assistant coach, rather than a batting coach - a role Gambhir himself might don.

Nayar has been closely associated with skipper Rohit Sharma in the past and has been part of the KKR coaching staff for many years. T Dilip, who served as the fielding coach under outgoing head coach Rahul Dravid, could also be retained, even though the BCCI released a statement thanking the entire support staff for their contributions over the years.

"The Board also 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," the BCCI said in a media release on July 9 (Tuesday), while announcing Gambhir as the head coach.

As far as the bowling coach is concerned, the names of Lakshmipathy Balaji and Vinay Kumar have been doing the rounds, but it is believed that the BCCI is seeking a higher-profile candidate who would mentor and mould the upcoming crop of fast bowlers like Harshit Rana, Tushar Deshpande, and Mayank Yadav, among others. The final decision is expected to be taken in the coming days.

Gambhir and his support staff will take charge of the side from the Sri Lanka tour, consisting of three T20 Internationals (T20I) and as many One-Day Internationals (ODI), starting July 27.

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