This has not been confirmed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India, but it is highly likely that Abhishek Nayar will be accompanying the Indian team on their trip to Sri Lanka for three T20Is and ODIs.
As Team India commences its new era with Gautam Gambhir at the helm, Nayar will join former Dutch international Ryan ten Doeschate among his support staff as an assistant coach.
Kolkata Knight Riders won this year’s IPL title and Abhishek Nayar was a well-known figure in domestic cricket who has transformed many Indian players into superstars.
Abhishek Nayar has always been there for Rohit Sharma, Dinesh Karthik and Rinku Singh to take them out of their worst phases of their careers and bring them to the pinnacle of their abilities.
Now one among Rohit’s closest friends in Mumbai cricket circles, Nayar will now work with him on the Indian side.
Nayar’s friendship with Rohit goes back a long way.
In 2011 , when Rohit didn’t make it into the World Cup squad due to fitness issues he joined Nayar for training sessions on a regular basis .
Abhishek Nayar was instrumental in improving his practice schedule too.
“When Rohit was not picked for the 2011 World Cup I normally used to tell him ‘let’s work hard’. Because he put some weight during that time. A commercial came on TV which had me and Yuvraj [Singh] sitting down and an arrow pointing to my tummy within a circle that had been drawn around it. I can 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
“Rohit would get called two-minute Maggi-man or whatever. There were so many things spoken about Rohit Sharma. All changed then. He told me ‘I’ll do whatever you say but post IPL people should say ‘he is not the same Rohit Sharma. He is someone else’,” Nayar said.
Abhishek Nayar was also largely responsible for the transformation of now retired Dinesh Karthik.
The two shared a bond from their Under-16 cricket days and it was Nayar who convinced Karthik to become a finisher in the second part of his career.
“In 2018, Abhishek [Nayar] said we can do something really special if you bat in the middle. It’s the toughest place to bat and you’re going to get far less balls but impact is going to be that much more. As time goes on, they’ll start figuring out that this is a specialist position, let’s stay ahead of that curve and let’s start practicing winning games,” Karthik told Cricbuzz.
Among all young cricketers playing for India, KKR star Rinku Singh shares a special relationship with Abhishek Nayar since working together 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.
To think big, he only came from a small town in Aligarh and I think that shift in mindset is what Nayar worked with Rinku to change his death-hitting skills.
During the time Rinku was out on ACL injury, Nayar’s belief in the budding talent led to KKR’s inclusion of him into their roster.
After the IPL ended, Rinku moved in with Nayar for an extended period, where he went through rehabilitation exercises as well as improving his batting techniques. The outcome was an outstanding domestic season and Rinku emerged as a “MATCH-WINNING FINISHER.”
Abhishek Nayar has represented India three times in one-day internationals and has played alongside Gambhir at KKR. He is highly regarded for his expertise in cricketing affairs as well as being a lifestyle/motivational coach.
Mumbai based Nayar featured for Mumbai Indians, Kings XI Punjab, Pune Warriors India and Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
As a coach with KKR, he spent six years.
