The BCCI has officially terminated the contract of Abhishek Nayar, less than a year after his appointment as assistant coach of the Indian men’s cricket team. Nayar becomes the first notable departure following a comprehensive review undertaken by the board earlier this year in response to India’s disappointing performances in Test cricket.
India endured a rough patch in the longest format toward the end of last year, starting with a 3-0 series loss at home to New Zealand, followed by a 3-1 defeat in Australia during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Upon returning from Australia, the BCCI held a detailed review meeting in Mumbai involving head coach Gautam Gambhir, Test and ODI captain Rohit Sharma, chief selector Ajit Agarkar, and BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia.
Nayar, a former Mumbai allrounder who played three ODIs for India, was brought on board in July 2024, reportedly at the recommendation of Gambhir, with whom he had previously worked at Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). The duo played a key role in KKR’s 2024 IPL title win — their first in ten years.
Though Nayar has not coached at the domestic level, he is well regarded for mentoring several top Indian players, including Rohit Sharma, Dinesh Karthik, Shreyas Iyer, Venkatesh Iyer, and rising star Angkrish Raghuvanshi. KL Rahul also recently credited Nayar for helping him improve his white-ball game, saying, “Big shoutout to Abhishek Nayar. I’ve worked a lot with him ever since he joined the Indian team.”
However, speculation over Nayar’s future began to surface in January when the BCCI appointed former Saurashtra batter Sitanshu Kotak as batting coach for the white-ball home series against England. Nayar, Kotak, assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate, and fielding coach T. Dilip were all part of India’s support staff during the Champions Trophy as well.
ESPNcricinfo has reached out to both Nayar and Devajit Saikia for comment.
Adrian Le Roux to Return as Trainer
In another significant backroom move, Adrian Le Roux is set to return as the team’s trainer. Currently working with Punjab Kings in the IPL, Le Roux has reportedly accepted the BCCI’s offer and will replace Soham Desai, who has served as India’s strength and conditioning coach since 2019.
Le Roux had previously worked with the Indian team during the early 2000s. After initially joining as a consultant during the 2001–02 tour of South Africa, he signed a one-year contract that lasted through the 2003 World Cup. Known for his successful partnership with then-physiotherapist Andrew Leipus, Le Roux was credited with significantly improving player fitness during that period. He turned down a contract extension in 2003 due to personal reasons and later joined the South African national team as trainer.
