A big part of the support staff for the Indian men’s cricket team has reportedly been let go after a tough time down in Australia earlier this year. India lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which they had held onto for a decade, and missed their chance to qualify for the World Test Championship final.
According to Dainik Jagran, the BCCI has taken action and fired assistant coach Abhishek Nayar, who had just been with the team for eight months. While BCCI hasn’t confirmed this yet, they might announce changes soon since India is set to travel to England for five Tests in June. The report also mentions that BCCI sent out a notice saying any support staff with over three years on the team might lose their jobs.
Fielding coach T Dilip, known for coming up with creative ideas, and trainer Soham Desai, who had also been with the team for three years, have been let go. Former Saurashtra player Sitanshu Kotak is already part of the coaching team, and Ryan ten Doeschate will keep his role. Desai will be replaced by Adrian le Roux, a sports scientist who has worked with the Punjab Kings and previously with the Kolkata Knight Riders. He has also been part of the Indian team back in the early 2000s and will join after IPL 2025.
The Indian team had a strong start in Australia during their last two tours in 2018-19 and 2020-21 but faced setbacks this time around. Even after a big win in Perth, things took a turn when Australia came back to beat India decisively in the pink-ball Test in Adelaide, followed by a draw in Brisbane. They lost again by 184 runs in Melbourne. With the trophy still within reach, India unfortunately lost the final Test in Sydney by six wickets, bringing back memories of tough times on overseas tours.
