After India’s thumping win in the 2024 T20 World Cup, Rahul Dravid signed off as India’s head coach on a high note.
Along with him, some members of his coaching staff also vacated their positions, prompting the BCCI to look for a new coaching staff, including the head coach.
On July 9, 2024, the board appointed Gautam Gambhir as India’s new head coach and gave him a free hand in choosing his coaching staff.
He has brought in some experienced peers in the fold to assist him in the job. Let’s look at the Indian men’s cricket team’s coaching staff.
Who is India’s head coach?
Gautam Gambhir takes over the reins from Rahul Dravid to take the Indian team to new heights.
He doesn’t have any prior experience of coaching a team in international or domestic cricket. But Gambhir is coming on the back of powering Kolkata Knight Riders to their third title in IPL 2024 as a mentor.
So he’s expected to bring his invaluable experience of mentoring KKR and Lucknow Super Giants in the past 3 IPL seasons.
Gambhir will be tasked with bringing out the best out of every player, giving them freedom, and trusting them to deliver big.
Who are India’s assistant coaches?
It’s quite unusual to see an assistant coach in the Indian setup. But Gambhir has brought in two of his most trusted men as his assistant coaches.
Abhishek Nayar had a pretty short stint with India as a player but carries a wealth of experience playing in domestic cricket. Moreover, he has trained a few notable players in his personal capacity, along with serving as a coach with KKR in the IPL.
On the other hand, ten Doeschate represented the Netherlands on the global stage, along with playing for KKR in the IPL under Gambhir’s captaincy. The Dutch national carries significant coaching experience, having been part of the coaching staff of a few teams.
Both of these assistant coaches will involve themselves in all aspects of the game, from batting to bowling to fielding.
Who is India’s fielding coach?
T Dilip was part of Rahul Dravid’s backroom staff as a fielding coach. And he will continue in the same role under Gambhir’s tenure.
Dilip took India’s fielding to a new dimension, which was quite visible in players putting in the effort on the field. He was instrumental in boosting player’s morale and rewarding them with fielding medals for their best efforts.
Dilip will carry on his duty to make India one of the best fielding units in world cricket.
Who is India’s bowling coach?
According to some reports, Gambhir is keen on having South Africa’s Morne Morkel as India’s new bowling coach. However, as of now, he hasn’t taken up the job.
In a full-time bowling coach’s absence, Sairaj Bahutule will be the interim bowling coach. He has been a bowling coach at the National Cricket Academy, along with the India A and India Under-19 teams.
