Former opener Gautam Gambhir took over as India head coach after Rahul Dravid’s tenure came to an end following the T20 World Cup 2024 triumph in June.
Gambhir was granted the freedom to pick his coaching staff, pending BCCI’s approvals. As per reports, the chief coach played a key role in bringing Abhishek Nayar, Ryan Ten Doeschate and Morne Morkel on board.
While Nayar and Ten Doeschate joined the Indian team as assistant coaches, Morkel signed a deal with the BCCI as a bowling coach.
South Africa’s legendary fielder Jonty Rhodes was also in contention for the fielding coach role as he had previously worked with Gambhir during their time together at Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).
However, the Indian board decided to retain T Dilip for the post of a fielding coach. Dilip, who was part of the Dravid-led coaching staff, remains an integral member of the new coaching setup.
Speaking on Aleena Dissects YouTube channel, Rhodes confirmed that Gambhir had indeed suggested his name for the fielding coach.
“Yeah! Can you believe it? I mean, they didn't want an international coach, and I'm so local. I mean, mera naam Jonty Rhodes! (I'm Jonty Rhodes) Come on. I'm based in Goa. Maybe because I'm based in Goa. Maybe I need to be in a metro (city),” Rhodes said.
The Proteas though acknowledged the contributions of T Dilip and R Sridhar – the last two fielding coaches – and lauded MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli for elevating the Indian team’s fitness standards.
“I've taken my hats off to the last two Indian fielding coaches. And it comes from captaincy. Under Dhoni… he had a lot of senior guys, and he just showed his physical ability, he still does at the end of his IPL career. Running between the wickets.... amazing, and he's 40. It's incredible. He certainly showed, just through his example, the importance of fitness and strength,” said Rhodes.
“Then Virat Kohli took over, and it was a part of the selection criteria. If you don't pass the fitness standards, it doesn't matter how good you are. Everybody was treated equally, and it took India to becoming a good fielding team,” he further remarked.
The Gambhir-led coaching staff began its stint on a bitter-sweet note as India blanked Sri Lanka 3-0 in T20Is but lost the ODIs 0-2.
India’s next assignment is the home Test series against Bangladesh, starting September 19 at Chepauk.
