Gautam Gambhir is facing challenges in finalizing his support staff. The BCCI has rejected five of his recommended candidates so far, including Morne Morkel.
Gambhir wanted the former South African fast bowler, who has experience as Pakistan's bowling coach and currently works with the Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL. But the BCCI did not approve Morkel's appointment.
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Who were Gautam Gambhir's picks for bowling and fielding coach?
This is not the first time Gambhir’s recommendations have been turned down.
Two other candidates for the bowling coach position, R Vinay Kumar and Laxmipathy Balaji, were also rejected. In addition, his recommendations for fielding coach, Ryan ten Doeschate and Jonty Rhodes, were not accepted by the board.
Among Gambhir's choices, only former India all-rounder Abhishek Nayar seems likely to be accepted. Nayar is considered for the role of assistant coach or batting coach. He has a good reputation for helping players like Dinesh Karthik and Shreyas Iyer improve their performances.
Traditionally, the BCCI has allowed the head coach to choose their support staff. This practice was followed during the tenures of coaches like Greg Chappell, Gary Kirsten, Anil Kumble, Ravi Shastri, and Rahul Dravid.
But the situation appears different for Gambhir. According to a report in The Economic Times, this might indicate a change in the BCCI's approach.
An insider suggested that this rejection might be the BCCI’s way of showing Gambhir that, despite being their choice for head coach, he would not have complete control over decisions. Another perspective is that the BCCI’s decision-making process has become more centralized and have moved away from committee-based decisions.
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