In a sweeping move aimed at resetting India’s Test cricket direction, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has terminated the contracts of assistant batting coach Abhishek Nayar, fielding coach T Dilip, and strength and conditioning coach Soham Desai following the team’s disappointing 3-1 defeat to Australia in the 2024–25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
The decision, reportedly confirmed by BCCI sources, comes in the aftermath of a series that not only saw India surrender the prestigious trophy on home soil but also miss out on qualification for the ICC World Test Championship Final at Lord’s.
India had kicked off the series with a rare win in Perth, raising hopes of another strong showing at home. But what followed was a string of dismal performances, capped by underwhelming batting displays from the team’s senior stalwarts. Captain Rohit Sharma managed just 31 runs in five innings at an average of 6.20, while Virat Kohli scored 190 runs across nine innings, including one century but fell repeatedly to the same off-stump ploy by Australian pacer Scott Boland, who dismissed him four times.
The inability of senior players to anchor the batting line-up was a major talking point throughout the series, with growing questions around coaching strategies and team morale.
The BCCI’s decision to cut ties with members of the coaching staff reportedly also stems from growing discomfort within the team environment, including suspected dressing room leaks during the high-pressure series.
Abhishek Nayar’s role, in particular, drew scrutiny. The former India and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) all-rounder had been brought into the national setup during the white-ball series in Sri Lanka, alongside former Netherlands player Ryan ten Doeschate. Both were assistant coaches under Gautam Gambhir at KKR, and there were murmurs within the BCCI about a “KKR club culture” creeping into the national team’s functioning — something the board reportedly viewed as counterproductive to the national cause.
The coaching shake-up comes on the heels of new guidelines issued by the BCCI in January aimed at restoring structure and discipline within the senior men’s team. These measures include tighter regulations around travel, baggage limits, and family visits during tours.
Players have been instructed to travel together for all matches and practice sessions, with exceptions to the rules only permitted with prior clearance from the head coach and the chairman of selectors. The move is seen as an attempt to rebuild a sense of unity and professional focus in a team that has appeared fragmented and inconsistent in recent months.
With the WTC Final dream now over and India’s Test performance under the microscope, this reshuffle of the coaching staff signals that no position is safe amid falling standards. The BCCI is expected to announce replacements in the coming weeks as part of a broader revamp before the upcoming Test series against Bangladesh and the home leg of the 2025–26 season.
India’s cricketing establishment is now at a crossroads, with pressure mounting not just on coaching personnel but also on senior players and selectors to deliver a reset that restores India’s stature in red-ball cricket.
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