Reports: BCCI didn't inform Rohit Sharma before sacking assistant coach Abhishek Nayar

The apex cricket governing body, BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India), reportedly did not inform India’s Test and ODI skipper, Rohit Sharma, before sacking assistant coach Abhishek Nayar, who had been an important part of the team’s support staff over the past eight months.

Nayar, who was brought into the Indian setup last year with Rohit's consent, was part of a coaching unit that worked under head coach Gautam Gambhir. The duo had played crucial roles in Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) IPL title win in 2024 and were subsequently brought together into the Indian team’s coaching setup. Their contributions received huge praise after India lifted the ICC Champions Trophy following a 12-year wait.

However, the 41-year-old's sacking was considered after India’s 1-3 defeat in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. While a review meeting was conducted post-series, action against the coaching staff was reportedly delayed due to the upcoming Champions Trophy.

It was during the ongoing IPL season, while the Men in Blue were not engaged in any international fixtures, that the BCCI made the call to remove Nayar. According to a report by Dainik Jagran, Rohit was kept out of the loop regarding Abhishek Nayar’s removal, despite being consulted at the time of his appointment. Furthermore, concerns over dressing room discussions being leaked to the media and questions over his contributions led to the sacking.

"Abhishek's entry into the Indian team's support staff was done with Rohit's consent, but Rohit was not consulted before removing him. A member of the team management asked, 'If Nayar was so reliable then why the management added Sitanshu Kotak as the batting coach for the England series in January? Even Rohit had agreed on bringing Kotak on board," the report states.

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However, Nayar has once again joined the Kolkata franchise as an assistant coach for the remainder of the IPL 2025 season. Meanwhile, Rohit, after guiding Mumbai Indians to a nine-wicket win over arch-rivals Chennai Super Kings with an unbeaten 76 off 45 balls, shared a picture to thank Nayar for his support during his lean patch and captioned it, “Thank you, Abhishek Nayar!”