Gautam Gambhir's Jonty Rhodes request turned down, T20 WC winner on BCCI's radar to become India's fielding coach

Following the appointment of Gautam Gambhir as India's new head coach on July 9, after a unanimous recommendation by the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), attention has now turned to his support staff. Much like Rahul Dravid, the tenures of India's batting coach Vikram Rathour, bowling coach Paras Mhambrey, and fielding coach T Dilip also concluded with the T20 World Cup. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) expressed gratitude to Dravid, Rathour, Mhambrey, and Dilip for their contributions, signaling a complete revamp of the coaching staff under head coach Gambhir starting from the Sri Lanka tour. However, there is a possibility that T Dilip may continue as India's fielding coach.

Traditionally, the BCCI allows the head coach to select their own support staff, and the same will apply to Gambhir. However, the board has rejected Gambhir's top choices for the bowling coach and fielding coach positions. Gambhir had expressed interest in appointing former India pacer R Vinay Kumar as the bowling coach, but the board did not favor this selection. Additionally, the BCCI has declined Gambhir's preferred candidate for fielding coach, Jonty Rhodes. Despite Rhodes' exceptional credentials and reputation as one of the best fielders in the history of the sport, along with his experience with various IPL teams, including his collaboration with Gambhir at the Lucknow Super Giants, the BCCI is hesitant to hire a foreigner for the support staff. India has maintained an all-native support staff for the past seven years, and the board intends to uphold this practice.

Sources close to the Hindustan Times revealed that the BCCI did consider Jonty Rhodes for a coaching role but ultimately opted to stick with an all-Indian support staff. This decision potentially paves the way for T Dilip to make a return, given his previous successful stint with the Indian team.

It is not uncommon for a member of the previous coaching staff to continue working under a new head coach. An example of this is when Rathour replaced Sanjay Bangar after the 2019 World Cup and continued to be a part of the team under Ravi Shastri until Rahul Dravid assumed the role.

There is a possibility that Dilip could also follow this same path. Furthermore, former Indian batsman VVS Laxman, who currently leads the National Cricket Academy (NCA), is anticipated to have a substantial impact on the team.

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