NEW DELHI: The
Board of Control for Cricket in India
is yet to make it official but in all likelihood,
Abhishek Nayar
will be joining the Indian team in Sri Lanka for the white-ball tour involving three T20Is and as many ODIs.
Alongside former Dutch international Ryan ten Doeschate, Nayar is set to take on his new role in
Team India
support staff as an assistant coach as the team begins its new journey under
Gautam Gambhir
.
Part of the IPL winning Kolkata Knight Riders, earlier this year, Nayar -- a former India international -- is a well known figure in domestic and franchise cricket and has been responsible in getting quite a few India stars to their best.
Rohit Sharma
,
Dinesh Karthik
and
Rinku Singh
, all have had the help and guidance of Nayar, who took them out of their tough phases and helped them reach their absolute best.
Nayar, who is one of Rohit's first closest friends in the Mumbai cricket circles will now be working alongside him in the Indian team.
The friendship of Nayar and Rohit goes way back.
In 2011, when Rohit missed an opportunity to be part of the World Cup team because he was unfit, he went to work with Nayar.
It was Nayar who helped him with his training regimen.
"When Rohit was not picked for the 2011 World Cup, I always told him 'let's work hard'. Because he had gained a bit of weight at that time. A visual, an ad was aired, which showed Rohit and Yuvraj [Singh] standing, and there was a circle marked around Rohit's tummy with an arrow pointing towards it. I will never forget it. We were at home, watching TV. And looking at that visual, Rohit said I have to change this (perception)," Nayar said in a YouTube podcast.
"People used to say a lot of things about him. Two-minute Maggi-man and stuff like that. There were a lot of things said about Rohit Sharma. That changed everything. He said to me 'I'll do whatever you say, but when the IPL gets over, people should say 'he is not the same Rohit Sharma. He is someone else'," Nayar said.
Nayar also had a huge role in the transformation of now retired Dinesh Karthik.
Both knew each other from their Under-16 cricket days and it was Nayar who convinced Karthik to become a finisher in the second phase of his career.
"In 2018, Abhishek [Nayar] said we can do something really special if you bat in the middle. It is the toughest spot to play and you'll get much lesser balls but you can create a much better impact. In time, people will start understanding it is specialist position, let's be ahead of the curve and let's start practicing with winning games in mind," Karthik said told Cricbuzz.
Among the young India talent, Nayar shares a special bond with KKR star Rinku Singh with whom he started working in 2018.
In November 2023, Karthik shared insights into Nayar's unwavering belief in Rinku's talent and his pivotal role during the left-hander's injury phase.
"Nayar always saw the potential in Rinku, he kept telling me, it was only a matter of time before he (Rinku) did something really special," Karthik wrote on X.
"Coming from a small town in Aligarh, all he needed was to think big, and I think that shift in mindset was what Nayar worked with Rinku majorly about, apart from fine-tuning his death-hitting skills.
"Even during Rinku's ACL injury, Nayar's conviction in the young talent prompted KKR to include him in the team.
"Rinku stayed with Nayar post-IPL for an extended period, undergoing rehabilitation and honing his batting skills. The result was a stellar domestic season and the emergence of Rinku as a "MATCH-WINNING FINISHER."
Nayar, who played 3 ODIs for India and has worked closely with Gambhir at the KKR, comes with a high reputation as a sharp cricket mind and a lifestyle/motivational coach.
Nayar played first class cricket for Mumbai and represented Mumbai Indians, Kings XI Punjab, Pune Warriors India and Rajasthan Royals in the IPL.
As a coach, Nayar was with KKR for six years.
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