New Delhi: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) dismissed Abhishek Nayar, assistant coach for the past eight months, last week. Although India’s underwhelming performance in the Border Gavaskar Trophy is cited as a contributing factor, reports also suggest his dismissal was linked to the appointment of Sitanshu Kotak as an additional batting coach.
“…just after the tour of Australia, there was a review meeting conducted by the BCCI. The top officials of the board, including secretary Devajit Saikia and vice-president Rajeev Shukla, were present along with important members associated with the Indian team, and the national selectors,” a BCCI source was quoted as saying by the news agency.
“On the sidelines of the meeting, a powerful member of the support staff expressed his apprehensions about Nayar’s presence and said how him being in the dressing room is proving to be counter-productive. “While the BCCI didn’t act immediately but they brought in Kotak, the former Saurashtra run-accumulator. It was a way of side-lining Nayar during the Champions Trophy,” the source added.
Rohit Sharma has briefly commented on Abhishek Nayar’s recent dismissal. “Thanks bro,” wrote Rohit on his Instagram story, along with it posted a photo from Sunday’s Mumbai Indians versus Chennai Super Kings IPL 2025 match, celebrating his strong performance of 76 not out from 45 balls, which followed a series of low scores.
Cricbuzz reports that Rohit Sharma and KKR’s newly appointed support staff member, Nayar, have been collaborating for some time, even during the recent IPL. Their professional relationship predates the tournament.
During India’s Sri Lanka white-ball tour in 2023, Abhay Nayar and former Netherlands cricketer Ryan ten Doeschate served as assistant coaches. Their prior collaboration included assistant coaching roles with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), where they worked alongside Gautam Gambhir and contributed to the team’s 2024 IPL championship victory under captain Shreyas Iyer.
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