The Indian men’s cricket team has made some big changes in their support staff after facing a tough time in Australia earlier this year. It was a disappointment for fans when India lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, a title they had held for a decade, and missed a chance to reach the World Test Championship final. According to a report from Dainik Jagran, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has started cleaning house, letting go of assistant coach Abhishek Nayar after just eight months in the role.
BCCI hasn’t formally confirmed these changes yet, but they’re likely to announce this news soon since the team is getting ready for a five-Test series in England come June. Reports also mentioned that the BCCI sent out a notice about potentially cutting support staff members who have been with the team for more than three years.
Fielding coach T Dilip, known for his fresh ideas like giving out fielding medals, and trainer Soham Desai, who’s been around for three years, have also been told that they won’t be continuing with the team. On the flip side, Sitanshu Kotak, a former Saurashtra batter, is already part of the set-up, and Ryan ten Doeschate will keep his role.
As for Soham Desai’s position, it looks like Adrian le Roux will step in. Adrian is a sports scientist currently tied to the Punjab Kings and has experience with the Kolkata Knight Riders. Interesting enough, he also worked with the Indian team back in the early 2000s and is expected to join after the IPL 2025. His contract with the BCCI appears to be all set up.
Looking back, the Indian team had a great time in their recent tours to Australia, winning the last two series in 2018-19 and 2020-21. They kicked off this latest tour with a bang, scoring a significant victory in Perth, which had fans excited about a potential hat-trick of series wins. However, Australia bounced back hard, thrashing India by ten wickets in a pink-ball Test at Adelaide, followed by a draw in Brisbane. The tough times continued in Melbourne when Australia beat India by a staggering 184 runs. Though there was still hope to hold on to the trophy, India fell short in the final Test in Sydney, losing by six wickets. It was a rough reminder of how challenging away tours can be for the team.
