Abhishek Nayar Tipped to Become India's Assistant Coach Under Gautam Gambhir

Former India all-rounder Abhishek Nayar is reportedly set to become India's new assistant coach under newly-appointed head coach Gautam Gambhir. Gambhir, who mentored Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to the 2024 IPL title, is said to be impressed with Nayar's work as an assistant coach at the franchise since 2018.

Nayar's strong relationship with India's ODI and Test captain Rohit Sharma is also seen as a factor in his potential appointment. In the past, wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik and leg-spinner Varun Chakravarthy have praised Nayar's coaching methods.

KKR head coach Chandrakant Pandit has lauded Nayar's contribution to the team's IPL triumph, highlighting his work with domestic players throughout the year. Nayar has also played a mentoring role for youngsters like Shreyas Iyer, both in the Mumbai team and at KKR.

Meanwhile, reports suggest that the BCCI is considering India's pace bowling great Zaheer Khan as the men's team's new bowling coach. Gambhir is believed to have proposed former India speedster Vinay Kumar for the role, with L Balaji also being an option.

One member of Rahul Dravid's outgoing staff, fielding coach T Dilip, could be retained under Gambhir's leadership.

Tags: #AbhishekNayar, #GautamGambhir, #IndiaCricket, #AssistantCoach, #KKR