India to get additional support staff? BCCI considers options

by Sahil Jain
Ajit Agarkar and Gautam Gambhir

India haven’t had the best of times in the recent past. Their performances in the longest format have been poor and that has forced the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to take multiple actions.  

There have been quite a few reports on the Indian board being strict with the players in the upcoming tours and series. Apart from that, there is another report that adds that the Indian team could see new support staff being added to the current setup.  

According to Cricbuzz, the BCCI might bolster the support staff after the recent poor performances. They are looking to add at least one member to the backroom staff. According to Cricbuzz, it is learnt that it could more specifically be a batting coach since there is none in the team at the moment.  

The current coaching setup comprises of Gautam Gambhir as the head coach, Abhishek Nayar and Ryan ten Doeschate as the assistant coaches, Morne Morkel as the bowling coach and T Dilip as the fielding coach. This is the first time in a while that India have been without a full-time batting coach. Gambhir, Nayar and tend Doeschate have been prolific batters of their times and have been helping out the Indian batters so far.  

According to sources, some big names are being discussed but no conclusive decision has been made so far. There have been meetings between the BCCI and the team management about the same. It is understood that the topic of bolstering the support staff was discussed in the review meeting which took place on January 11 in Mumbai.  

Focus on Kohli, Rohit 

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma

India have suffered successive Test series defeats, 0-3 against New Zealand at home and 1-3 in Australia. While there have been other significant issues, the spotlight has firmly been on the form of senior players Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. 

Both batters have struggled to get substantial runs and just haven’t looked in the best of forms. Skipper Rohit has had a wretched run since the start of the home Test season. He got a mere 164 runs in 15 innings at an average of 10.93 with just one fifty to his name. It gets worse if only the Australia series is considered where he made just 31 runs in five innings. He has moved up and down the order but it hasn’t worked.  

Meanwhile, Kohli’s frailties outside the off-stump are no secret. Australia exposed that to the ‘T’ as he was dismissed edging behind the stumps all eight times in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The former India skipper did get a ton in the second innings in Perth and looked in decent touch in the first innings in Melbourne. But apart from that, he struggled and constantly fell prey to his weakness outside the off-stump.  

Hence, the repeated manner of dismissals has sparked a massive debate regarding his future in Test cricket. Rohit’s case is the same and his future as Test captain is uncertain as well. 

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