Head coach Gambhir had picked his own support staff when he joined Indian team in July 2024.
In July 2024, the Gautam Gambhir-led coaching team took control, starting with the limited-overs series against Sri Lanka. For the record, the rest of the support staff started working with Gambhir, while bowling coach Morne Morkel joined the coaching squad a bit later, before the Bangladesh Test series.
It is believed that the support staff had a 2+1 contract with the BCCI, according to a Times of India story. The report also stated that at least one coach has already had talks with an IPL team and is likely to join their establishment, even though the cricket board and the coaches have the option to extend their term by one year beyond the first two years.
It is now impossible to completely rule out the chance that another support staff member will leave in the near future.
The report further stated that cracks have developed in the Indian dressing room since the Test series whitewash of South Africa at home. The coaching staff and the BCCI selectors have been at odds since then.
Furthermore, Sairaj Bahutule was added to the Indian coaching staff as a spin coach on a long-term basis and not as a stopgap arrangement. Also, the BCCI's appointment of a separate set of coaches for the Zimbabwe T20I series and the 2026 Asian Games has soured the mood of some of the support staff.
“I don’t quite understand the need to send VVS Laxman to Zimbabwe. I also do not understand the plan to send him to the Asian Games. There is clearly more than meets the eye, and perhaps the Indian cricket board is exploring options,” a source told Times of India.
In a statement released on Friday, BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia emphasized that the board would examine the team's recent results but stated that "nothing else will be discussed."
“The BCCI is currently observing the performance of the Indian T20 team, which has not been up to the mark in the ongoing series against England. However, such a situation is not something abnormal and can happen in international cricket. We consider it a temporary poor phase. Once the ODI series gets over on July 19 and the team returns, we will hold a review meeting with the core members of the team to discuss what went wrong in England.
Since there is an ODI series, we are hopeful that the team will return to good form. The review meeting will be strictly about the performance of the team and how course correction can be carried out regarding the shortcomings. Nothing else will be discussed,” said Saikia.
If the support staff of the Indian coaching contingent does not change their minds, the Men in Blue could have a new-look coaching setup for the upcoming Sri Lanka Test tour.
Gautam Gambhir had cherry-picked Ryan ten Doeschate, Morne Morkel, and Abhishek Nayar as his support staff when he was made the head coach of the Indian team. Fielding coach T. Dilip was retained, while Sitanshu Kotak was made the batting coach after Nayar was relieved from his position after the 2025 Champions Trophy.
(Times of India report)