Mumbai: Following India's 3-1 loss to Australia in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which cost them a spot in the World Test Championship final, assistant coach Abhishek Nayar and fielding coach T Dilip have been let go.

A BCCI official confirmed that there will be a shake-up in the coaching staff ahead of the upcoming five-Test series in England.

Currently, there won't be any major new additions to the coaching team led by Gautam Gambhir. Sitanshu Kotak, who joined as batting coach in January, will continue with the team in England. Assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate will step up as the new fielding coach. Additionally, strength and conditioning coach Soham Desai will be replaced by South African Adrian le Roux, who has previously worked with the Indian team.

It seems that Nayar and Dilip are being held accountable for a disappointing series that revealed deeper issues within the Indian Test setup. What’s not officially stated, and likely won’t be included in any media announcements, is that head coach Gambhir has the final say on team decisions.

There’s a common belief that Nayar was chosen by Gambhir since they had previously collaborated at Kolkata Knight Riders, but his appointment was actually supported by captain Rohit Sharma.

Nayar has worked closely with Rohit to help him maintain his fitness. Similarly, Dilip’s hiring also had Rohit’s endorsement. He was the only member of Rahul Dravid’s support staff to be retained when Gambhir took over last July.

It became clear during the post-series meeting between the team management and BCCI officials after the Border-Gavaskar Trophy that Gambhir, who was appointed for a three-year coaching role, would have more influence. Following this discussion, the board introduced new team protocols requiring players to travel together on the team bus after practice and limiting family time during tours.

The effectiveness of the support staff was also a topic of conversation, leading to Kotak being brought on board as a batting coach due to his technical skills. This decision was perceived as a signal to Nayar.

However, evaluating coaching staff is often subjective. Some Indian players, like Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul, have praised Nayar for his coaching abilities. Many cricketers have recognized his mentoring, particularly in white-ball formats.

This coaching shake-up seems more about giving Gambhir the freedom to operate, especially with Rohit nearing the end of his career. The dynamic between Gambhir and Rohit has been less warm compared to the relationship Rohit had with Dravid. Their most significant achievement as a management team was winning the Champions Trophy in March.

As for Rohit’s future, the Indian squad for the upcoming tour of England will be announced soon, and whether he continues as a player and captain will be a hot topic leading up to the selection. Rohit has hinted that he’s not ready to retire just yet.

After the Champions Trophy victory, he made it clear that he has no intention of stepping back from ODIs. During a mid-match interview with Star Sports at the Sydney Test, he mentioned that he had opted out of the Test for form reasons but was uncertain about what the future held five months down the line. That timeline aligns with the England tour, and the selectors will need to decide if Rohit’s wishes will be granted.

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