Is Indian cricket set to undergo a coaching reset? | Cricket News

Team India in a huddle during one of their practice sessions. (BCCI | X)

New Delhi: The Indian cricket team is likely to undergo a coaching reset, with at least one prominent member of the support staff set to leave.Right now, it’s unclear if the possible exit is simply due to growing anger among the coaching staff to continue in the current role or move to take on a new coaching position or both.The coaching team led by Gautam Gambhir took charge in July 2024, starting with the limited-overs series against Sri Lanka.For the record, bowling coach Morne Morkel joined the coaching unit soon after, before the Test series in Bangladesh, while the rest of the support staff began their duties alongside Gambhir.It is learned that the support staff has signed a 2+1 contract with BCCI. While the cricket board and the coaches have the option to extend their term by one year after the first two years, it is known that at least one coach has already made discussions with an Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise that has a global presence and is likely to join their setup.The possibility of another member of the support staff also moving in the near future cannot be ruled out at this stage.Time in India. com has reached out to the coaches concerned, and the IPL franchise for comment on the loud grumbling within Indian cricket circles. The story will be updated as soon as they respond.This possible move is not due to the team’s poor outings in Ireland and England, but something that has been developing over the last few months. It is understood that cracks have deepened in the dressing room since the two-Test defeat against South Africa at home, and it is not the happiest place at the moment. Disagreements between the selectors and the coaching staff have more complicated matters.It is understandable that the addition of Sairaj Bahutale to the coaching setup as spin-bowling coach is not a stop-gap arrangement. Bahutale had previously served as the interim bowling coach for the 2024 tour of Sri Lanka when Morkel was unable to join the team due to a family emergency.While there is no confirmation, the potential exit of support staff members may have prompted the Indian cricket board to send a different set of coaches for the short series in Zimbabwe. A well-placed source questioned this move as the support staff led by Gambhir had a long break during the IPL, and the Zimbabwe series would have been only their fourth assignment, a very short one.“I don’t really understand the need to send VVS Laxman to Zimbabwe. I also don’t 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,” the source said.BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia issued a statement on Friday stressing that the board would review the team’s recent performances, but said there was “nothing else to discuss”.“The BCCI is currently observing the performance of the Indian T20 team, which is yet to reach the mark in the ongoing series against England. However, this is not something that is abnormal and can happen in international cricket. We consider this a temporary bad episode. Once the ODI series is over on July 19 and the team returns, we will hold a review meeting with key team members to discuss what went wrong in England. Since there is an ODI series, we hope that the team will return to good form. ““The review meeting was strictly about the team’s performance and how course corrections can be made regarding shortcomings. There is nothing else to talk about,” Saikia said.The next few weeks will be very interesting for Indian cricket as if the respective coaches don’t have a late change of heart, the setup could have a new look as early as the Test series against Sri Lanka. Time may change, but it may take a lot of conviction from the Indian cricket board and head coach Gambhir to keep the famous name or names in the setup.Gambhir led the team in the 2024 away series against Sri Lanka and selected members of the support staff, including Ryan ten DoeschateMorne Morkel, and Abhishek Nayar. T Dilip retained his position as fielding coach, while Sitanshu Kotak was later added as batting coach before Nayar was removed from his post after India won the Champions Trophy in 2025.