The BCCI has adopted a no-nonsense approach after the Indian team's poor show in Australia, deciding to terminate assistant coach Abhishek Nayar's contract after just eight months in. Although the BCCI has yet to make it official or release a statement, a report in the PTI claims that Nayar has already been informed of the decision. Brought in as part of India's new coaching set-up after Rahul Dravid, Vikram Rathour and Paras Mhambrey's tenure expired at the end of last year's T20 World Cup, Nayar has been shown the door after a reported fallout with a very powerful member of the support staff.
Furthermore, the report claims that the BCCI's appointment of Sitanshu Kotak as India's new batting coach was a way to push Nayar out eventually. It's not known yet whether the board's strict actions stem from their belief that Nayar had a role to play in India's dressing room leaks after the disastrous Border-Gavaskar Trophy, but the 41-year-old's presence has, in fact, been dubbed 'counter-productive'.
"Just after the tour of Australia, there was a review meeting conducted by the BCCI. The top officials of the board, including secretary Devajit Saikia and vice-president Rajeev Shukla, were present along with important members associated with the Indian team, and the national selectors," PTI quoted a BCCI member as saying.
"On the sidelines of the meeting, a powerful member of the support staff expressed his apprehensions about Nayar's presence and said how him being in the dressing room is proving to be counter-productive. While the BCCI didn't act immediately, but they brought in Kotak, the former Saurashtra run-accumulator. It was a way of side-lining Nayar during the Champions Trophy."
{{/usCountry}}"On the sidelines of the meeting, a powerful member of the support staff expressed his apprehensions about Nayar's presence and said how him being in the dressing room is proving to be counter-productive. While the BCCI didn't act immediately, but they brought in Kotak, the former Saurashtra run-accumulator. It was a way of side-lining Nayar during the Champions Trophy."
{{/usCountry}}The report also busts certain myths. Despite their association at Kolkata Knight Riders, head coach Gautam Gambhir had no role in Nayar's appointment in the first place, contrary to what reports suggested back in time. As a matter of fact, Nayar was appointed to act as a bridge between Gambhir and Rohit Sharma since his equation and rapport with the Indian captain goes back a long way. Whether Rohit is in the know of things or was part of the decision-making is uncertain, but the call has apparently been made. The board has informed Nayar that he is no longer needed, and a piece of official news could be out very soon.
T Dilip and Soham Desai also shown the door
The man who introduced the famous fielding medals, T Dilip, has also been shown the door, along with the strength and conditioning coach Soham Desai. Both have served their three-year stint with the Indian team, and while the BCCI has not decided on a like-for-like replacement for Dilip, Adrian Le Roux will take Desai's place. Le Roux, the South African, was India's first-ever S&C coach, and his first tenure dates back to the early 2000s when Sourav Ganguly was the captain.
The new coaching staff will be up and running right after the IPL when India travel to England for a challenging five-Test series.