Sitanshu Kotak appointed as team India's new batting coach; Abhishek Nayar under pressure

Sitanshu Kotak, former Saurashtra batter and longtime National Cricket Academy (NCA) batting coach, has been appointed as team India's batting coach ahead of the limited-overs series against England and the Champions Trophy. He has been on tours with both the senior and A teams in the past few years.

Abhishek Nayar's performance came under the radar after the fie-match Test series against Australia.

"It is clear that Abhishek Nayar's expertise isn't helping the players. Kotak has been a specialist batting coach for a lengthy period of time and has also got the trust of the players," a senior BCCI official told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

Indian batters' recent struggles

Indian batters were exploited for their technical flaws in Australia and the series against New Zealand, where the team sustained the first home Test series defeat in 12 years.

Star batter Virat Kohli's outside the off stump troubles becoming a recurring problem on the Australian tour, where the Indians lost the five-match series 1-3.

Who is Sitanshu Kotak?

Kotak was a considered a gritty left-handed batter during his domestic cricket days. He amassed over 8,000 first-class runs, including 15 hundreds, in 130 appearances. He was particularly known for two strokes, the cover drive when the ball used to be pitched up and the flick when it was pitched on pads.


PTI reported that this could be a one-off appointment as the away Test series against England is more than six months away. The home engagement against the same side starts on January 22 and features five T20 Internationals and three ODIs.

"We have an India A shadow tour and Kotak normally handles the A team. He is a qualified Level 3 coach and has assisted VVS Laxman in the past and was also the head coach when India toured Ireland last year. Since he is NCA staff, he can be put anywhere," the source added.

Abhishek Nayar under pressure

Nayar, the former Mumbai player, is under the scanner, reported PTI. A widely held belief is that he will only be around till an influential senior player, who had a say in his appointment, is a part of the Indian set-up, the report further said.

During the tour of Australia, the legendary Sunil Gavaskar had questioned the role of the support staff by saying that they should be held accountable for the persistent technical issues of players like Kohli.

The other assistant coaches in the support staff are former South African pacer Morne Morkel (bowling) and Dutchman Ryan Ten Doeschate (fielding).