"BCCI agreed.." Gautam Gambhir to get his support staff after India's tour of Sri Lanka

Gautam Gambhir’s tenure as India coach begins with the tour of Sri Lanka.

Gautam Gambhir, the newly appointed Indian team head coach, thanked the BCCI for agreeing to most of his demands when it came to supporting staff choices. Ahead of the Indian team departing for Sri Lanka, Gambhir, along with selector Ajit Agarkar attended a press conference in Mumbai on Monday, July 22.

India are set to play three T20Is in Sri Lanka starting July 27 and this will be followed by three ODIs starting August 2nd. The T20Is will be played at the Pallekele Cricket Stadium, while the ODIs will be played at the RPS in Colombo.

There was lots of deliberation when it came to who would be Gautam Gambhir’s support staff with several names floating in the media. However, Gambhir has now confirmed that former India cricketer Abhishek Nayar and ex-Netherlands player Ryan ten Doeschate will be his assistant coaches for the Sri Lanka tour.

‘BCCI agreed to most of the things I have asked for’ – Gautam Gambhir

The recruitment of Nayar and Ten Doeschate signals a reunion of sorts, as the trio previously collaborated during the Kolkata Knight Riders’ victorious Indian Premier League 2024 campaign.

Their partnership resulted in KKR winning their first title in a decade, which probably influenced Gambhir’s decision to include them in the national team.  

“Really happy with the BCCI. They have agreed with most of the things I have asked for. The crux of the support staff will remain what it is right now, but we will finalize it once the Sri Lanka tour is over. Yes, Abhishek (Nayar) is the assistant coach, and Ryan ten Doeschate is the assistant coach.

I personally feel there can be assistant coaches who can probably involve themselves more in all three departments rather than just focusing on one, and that is the reason why now we have two assistant coaches as well. And that is the way we go forward, and yes, you will get to know the exact support staff once the Sri Lanka tour is over,” Gambhir told reporters.

Apart from them, T Dilip will continue as the Indian fielding coach, while Sairaj Bahutule is slated to be the temporary bowling coach of the Indian team for this tour to the island nation.

“Abhishek Nayar is there, Sairaj Bahutule is there, Dilip is there, and Ryan ten Doeschate is going to join in Colombo.

“I have worked closely with Abhishek and Ryan in the last two months at IPL with KKR. Both Absolute professionals and hopefully have a successful stint with the Indian team as coaches,” Gambhir added.

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