Meet Gambhir’s Teams: Complete List of Indian Men’s Cricket Team Coaching Staff Members

After Gambhir’s appointment as India cricket coach, both new and familiar faces were added to the coaching staff. It is rumored that Gambhir wanted all his KKR coaching staff to join the national team, but he only managed to include Abhishek Nayar and Ryan ten Doeschate as assistant coaches. You might be curious about the number of members in the coaching staff and their duties. In this detailed article, we will introduce the complete list of Indian Men’s Cricket Team coaching staff members.

India National Cricket Team Coaches (From 1971 to 2024)

No.	Coach Name	Tenure	Nationality
1	Gautam Gambhir	2024	India
2	VVS Laxman	2024 (Tour of Zimbabwe)	India
3	Rahul Dravid	2021-24	India
4	Ravi Shastri	2017-21	India
5	Sanjay Bangar (Interim)	2017	India
6	Anil Kumble	2016-17	India
7	Sanjay Bangar (Interim)	2016	India
8	Ravi Shastri (team director)	2014-16	India
9	Duncan Fletcher	2011-15	Zimbabwe
10	Gary Kirsten	2008-11	South Africa
11	Lalchand Rajput	2007-08	India
12	Ravi Shastri (Interim)	2007	India
13	Greg Chappell	2005-07	Australia
14	John Wright	2000-05	New Zealand
15	Kapil Dev	1999-2000	India
16	Anshuman Gaekwad	1997-99	India
17	Madan Lal	1996-97	India
18	Sandeep Patil	1996	India
19	Ajit Wadekar	1992-96	India
20	Abbas Ali Baig	1991-92	India
21	Bishan Singh Bedi	1990-91	India
22	Chandu Borde	1988	India
23	PR Man Singh	1983-1987	India
24	Ashok Mankad	1982	India
25	Salim Durrani	1980-81	India
26	Datta Gaekwad	1978	India
27	Gulabrai Ramchand	1975	India
28	Hemu Adhikari	1971-74	India
29	Keki Tarapore	1971	India

Head Coach of India Cricket Team: Gautam Gambhir

Gambhir has been appointed as the 26th coach of the Indian cricket team. He has been an outstanding player, playing key roles in the T20 World Cup 2007 and the ODI World Cup 2011. His successful cricket journey didn’t end there. After joining the Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2011, he led them to two IPL titles in 2012 and 2014. He later returned to the KKR team as a mentor in IPL 2024 and won the title again. Impressed by his coaching skills, the BCCI approached him and offered him the position of India’s head coach. On July 9, 2024, BCCI secretary Jay Shah officially announced Gautam Gambhir as the head coach till the end of the ODI World Cup 2027.

It is with immense pleasure that I welcome Mr @GautamGambhir as the new Head Coach of the Indian Cricket Team. Modern-day cricket has evolved rapidly, and Gautam has witnessed this changing landscape up close. Having endured the grind and excelled in various roles throughout his… pic.twitter.com/bvXyP47kqJ

— Jay Shah (@JayShah) July 9, 2024

Assistant Coach 1 : Abhishek Nayar

Abhishek Nayar, a former Indian cricketer from Secunderabad, Telangana, was very active in domestic cricket. He also played in the IPL for the Mumbai Indians, Kings XI Punjab, Pune Warriors, and Rajasthan Royals. Nayar was named to India’s squad for the tour of the West Indies in 2009. After his playing career, he focused more on mentoring and coaching domestic teams. He was appointed as the assistant coach for KKR in 2028 and later became the head coach of the Trinbago Knight Riders in the CPL. Recently, he was part of the KKR support staff as a batting coach for IPL 2024, leading them to their third title.

Assistant Coach 2 : Ryan ten Doeschate

Ryan ten Doeschate is a Dutch-South African cricketer who gained prominence by scoring two centuries in the ICC World Cup 2011. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) signed him for IPL 2012. He was an outstanding all-rounder and played several seasons for KKR. In 2021, he officially announced his retirement and took on the role of assistant coach with KKR. He was also part of the KKR team that won the championship in 2024, alongside Gambhir and Nayar. Following Gambhir’s recommendation to the BCCI, he has now joined the Indian men’s national cricket team as an assistant coach.

Bowling Coach (Interim):  Sairaj Bahutule

There is a lot of speculation about the bowling coach position. Rumors suggest Gambhir wants Morne Morkel as bowling coach, while the BCCI favors Zaheer Khan. Due to India’s tour of Sri Lanka, the BCCI appointed Sairaj Bahutule, a former Indian leg spinner, as interim India cricket team bowling coach. He has an impressive domestic and international cricket career. Bahutule also has extensive experience coaching various domestic cricket teams. Until a permanent bowling coach is decided, Bahutule will play a key role.

Fielding Coach: T Dilip

Dilip hails from Hyderabad, Telangana, and began his career as a math teacher. He joined the Deccan Chargers team in 2009 and later moved to the National Cricket Academy (NCA). At the NCA, he trained young cricketers like Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Tilak Verma. Dilip has done an outstanding job improving the Indian team’s fielding and has been a fielding coach for some time. He also introduced the popular post-match ceremony known as the Best Fielder Medal, which gained significant attention during the 2023 World Cup. Dilip is so skilled at his job that the BCCI might even consider replacing him.

Throwdown Specialist: Raghavendra Dwivedi

Raghavendra Dwivedi, known as ‘Raghu,’ is a throwdown specialist for the Indian men’s cricket team. You might be wondering what a throwdown specialist does. These specialists are part of the coaching staff and use a sidearm cricketing device, resembling a long spoon, to deliver the ball at high speeds (around 140-150 km/h) to challenge the batters during practice sessions.

Off field hero of Indian team.👏

He is India’s sidearm thrower Raghu who is running around the ground with a brush in hand to clean the shoes of Indian players to avoid the possibility of them sleeping.#T20Iworldcup2022 #INDvsBAN #ViratKohli𓃵 #Rain #KLRahul𓃵 #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/d3BdJkHn5M

— Rajan Rai (@RajanRa05092776) November 2, 2022

At the National Cricket Academy (NCA), Raghu completed the BCCI Level-1 coaching course and quickly became a favorite among Indian cricketers who come to the nets for practice. He gained attention on social media during an India vs Bangladesh T20 match. When the match was interrupted by rain and resumed with a wet outfield, Raghu went around to every player, cleaning their shoes with a brush to prevent slips and falls while bowling and fielding. For 13 years, Raghu has played a key role in the team’s successful journey.

So, this is an overview of the recent coaches appointed by the BCCI for Team India. If you have any thoughts on this, feel free to share them. In the meantime, keep reading our articles and sharing them on social media.

Relevant news