BCCI Looks for Batting Coach as Gambhir Faces Pressure; Pietersen Interested, Kotak Likely to Be New Coach

The BCCI is apparently on the hunt for a specialist batting coach for the Indian cricket team. Former England captain Kevin Pietersen has expressed interest in the position. The BCCI is unhappy with the team's current performance, especially after losing the Border Gavaskar Trophy. Head coach Gautam Gambhir is under pressure to turn things around.

At present, the Indian team has specialist coaches for bowling and fielding but does not have a dedicated batting coach. But, Gautam Gambhir is guiding assistant coaches Abhishek Nayar and Ryan ten Doeschate. However, the board is now willing to consider hiring a specialist batting coach to help India overcome its batting problems. Kevin Pietersen has even tweeted, offering himself for the job.

Available!

— Kevin Pietersen🦏 (@KP24) January 16, 2025

India already has four support staff members, and adding another could have its downsides. Many feel that three specialists would be sufficient, as seen during Rahul Dravid's tenure as head coach.

But, Gautam Gambhir has chosen his own support staff and BCCI approved of that. Unfortunately things haven’t gone as planned. India was whitewashed 3-0 in the Test series at home against New Zealand, and then followed that up by losing 3-1 in the Border Gavaskar Trophy. These 2 defeats made India fail to qualify for the WTC finals.

Sitanshu Kotak Likely to Take Charge as India’s Batting Coach

To address recent struggles by Indian batters, including seniors Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, the BCCI plans to appoint Sitanshu Kotak as a specialist batting coach. Currently, assistants Abhishek Nayar and Ryan ten Doeschate are part of the staff but their roles don’t have the specialization that is required to put a stop to the ongoing issues which is why the board is making this decision.

🚨 SITANSHU KOTAK AS BATTING COACH 🚨

- BCCI is considering appointing Sitanshu Kotak as the new batting coach of India. [Gaurav Gupta from TOI] pic.twitter.com/AD8FNNe4YK

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) January 16, 2025

“Yes, Kotak’s name is being seriously discussed for the role of India’s batting coach, and it will start with the Champions Trophy in February. The BCCI is likely to make an official announcement in this regard. Most of our batsmen (batters), including the seniors, have struggled badly in the last two series. There’s clearly a need to strengthen the support staff of the Indian men’s cricket team from the batting point of view,” a BCCI source told the Times of India.