Reports: BCCI declines Gautam Gambhir's choice to have Jonty Rhodes as fielding coach

There was considerable hypothesizing regarding the composition of the coaching staff following the public announcement by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) of the head coach position, appointing Gautam Gambhir to it.

This follows the transition from Rahul Dravid, whose tenure culminated with the T20 World Cup 2024, a triumph that marked his inaugural title and ended his term on a notably successful note. Alongside 'The Wall', the contracts of his other staff members (batting coach Vikram Rathour, bowling coach Paras Mhambrey, and fielding coach T Dilip) also came to an end.

It was widely anticipated that Gambhir would not conform easily and would assert his own choices regarding personnel. Previous reports suggested his interest in recruiting former Netherlands cricketer, Ryan ten Doeschate, who played under Gambhir for five years at the Kolkata Knight Riders and served as the fielding coach during Gambhir's return to the franchise in their title-winning IPL 2024 campaign as a mentor.

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However, according to a recent report from the Hindustan Times, all those plans were dashed as the BCCI openly dismissed Gambhir's preference, citing their preference for an all-Indian coaching staff. 

It has also been reported that Gambhir requested for Jonty Rhodes as fielding coach as well, but that request has also been declined the board.

Gambhir's path to assuming the role of head coach for the Indian team included mentoring roles in the IPL, despite his limited prior coaching experience. Similar trajectories were observed for Ravi Shastri and Anil Kumble when they ascended to the top coaching positions in the Indian team.

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Under Gambhir's guidance, the Lucknow Super Giants achieved playoff berths in consecutive seasons. He subsequently transitioned to mentoring the Kolkata Knight Riders, the team he previously captained to two IPL titles, leading them to another championship victory in May 2024.

Gambhir's inaugural assignment with Team India will commence with the tour to Sri Lanka scheduled for late July, featuring a series of three T20Is followed by an equal number of ODIs.