India’s coaching system could also be overhauled and a senior member of Gautam Gambhir’s support staff is expected to leave despite having time on his contract.
The coach has already begun discussions with an IPL franchise that runs teams in different leagues, The Times of India writes. The report also says there is uncertainty as to who will be working in India’s support staff and more changes could be on the way.
These trends have been going on for a long time and not only due to India's bad performances in Ireland and England. Under captain Shreyas Iyer, India is yet to win a single match on the current white ball tour and they have lost consecutive series.
Gambhir’s coaching team in the spotlight.
When Gautam Gambhir took over as India's head coach in July 2024, he put together a team with some of his trusted colleagues from the IPL days.
He appointed Ryan ten Doeschate and Abhishek Nayar as assistant coaches, and former South Africa fast bowler Morne Morkel later joined as bowling coach ahead of the Bangladesh Test series. All three were offered two-year contracts with the option to extend for one more year.
But the coaching group has already changed. Abhishek Nayar was removed from the coaching role after India's bad 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy campaign in Australia and Sitanshu Kotak took over as the batting coach.
BCCI’s recent decisions raise questions about its recent decisions and actions.
As the BCCI placed VVS Laxman in charge of coaching for the Zimbabwe tour and the Asian Games instead of Gambhir’s full-time support staff, speculation about further changes grew.
The presence of Sairaj Bahutale in the national team has also fuelled speculation that the board may already be in the process of reconfiguring its coaching structure for future assignments.
As the BCCI will review the team's performance after the current England tour, the official discussions will mostly focus on results but not coaching appointments, it is said in these reports.
Dressing room problems are increasing.
Apart from results on the field, the report also indicates that internal problems have contributed to the uncertainty surrounding India's coaching system.
The report concludes that there is an uneasy environment between the selectors and the coaching group and also in the dressing room.
It also says that “cracks have deepened” since India’s two-Test home series defeat against South Africa, adding to the pressure on the support staff.
While the report does not mention the coach expected to leave, speculation around both Ryan ten Doeschate and Morne Morkel has appeared earlier when India’s Test performances came under scrutiny.
If the reported departures happen, India will go into the upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka with a very diverse support staff, which will potentially mark the beginning of Gautam Gambhir's time as head coach.
