BCCI rejects Gambhir’s request for a fielding coach, reports make a shocking claim

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) named Gautam Gambhir as the head coach of the senior men’s cricket team on Tuesday. After Gambhir took over from Rahul Dravid, whose time as coach finished after the T20 World Cup 2024, there have been many reports about the coaching team that still needs to be chosen. Recently, it was said that Gambhir wanted Jonty Rhodes to be the fielding coach for Team India, but the board did not agree to this request.

The Hindustan Times released a report that mentioned the BCCI’s desire to maintain a support team entirely composed of Indian staff.

It’s important to mention that the terms of all the support team members—batting coach Vikram Rathour, bowling coach Paras Mhambrey, and fielding coach T Dilip—coincided with Rahul Dravid’s time as the head coach of the Indian team. Nevertheless, the BCCI’s reported intention to retain an all-Indian support team suggests that Dilip could remain as the fielding coach for India.

As Gambhir takes on the position of head coach, he is in charge of a strong India men’s team that won the ICC T20 World Cup in 2024 and came close to winning in the 2023 ODI World Cup and World Test Championship. As he starts his term until 2027, Gambhir has several challenges to tackle.

One of his initial challenges is to establish himself and create a good team spirit in a locker room where he used to play alongside some of the players, including Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.

Gambhir’s journey to becoming the head coach of the Indian team included taking on mentorship roles in the IPL, even though he didn’t have much coaching experience before that. This was similar to what happened with Ravi Shastri and Anil Kumble when they were chosen for the top coaching position in the Indian team.

With Gambhir as their mentor, Lucknow Super Giants made it to the playoffs for two straight seasons