India's newly appointed T20I vice-captain Axar Patel said he has no idea about the change in support staff ahead of the five-match T20I series against England. The India all-rounder was addressing the media ahead of the series opener when asked about the support staff.
The Indian team's support staff is under scrutiny following the team's dismal performances in the last two Test series. India suffered a humiliating 3-0 defeat in the home Test series against New Zealand. India's unbeaten run at home, stretching back to the 2012/13 season, has ended.
The defeat against New Zealand was followed by a 3-1 defeat in Australia as India lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the first time since claiming it in 2017. The defeats also ended India's hopes of qualifying for the third time at the World Test Championship. in a row.
Head coach Gautam Gambhir and batting coach Sitanshu Kotak have a long discussion from the last 20 minutes and it continues. @RevSportzGlobal pic.twitter.com/DH9TfdryNI
— Subhayan Chakraborty (@CricSubhayan) January 20, 2025
With the team underperforming against New Zealand and Australia, the support staff found themselves on the attack line. As per recent reports, BCCI has decided to make a new addition to the support staff. Former Saurashtra star Sitanshu Kotak has been roped in as the batting coach for the upcoming series against England.
Even though BCCI is yet to make the official announcement, Kotak was spotted at the Eden Gardens where the Indian team is training ahead of the first T20I. And when Axar Patel was asked about the support staff, he said:
“In terms of the support staff, I haven't been with the team for the last three months so I don't know what happened in Australia, but here the support staff is the same and we've discussed what we want to do in the games.”
While Kotak was added to the support staff, the BCCI decided not to sack any other member. Gautam Gambhir is currently the head coach of the team, while Abhishek Nayar and Ryan ten Doeschate are assistant coaches. On the other hand, Morne Morkel and T Dilip are the bowling and fielding coach respectively.
Axar Patel looks at an impressive outing:
Axar Patel will be looking to make a big impact in the upcoming series as he will be keen to justify his leadership of the team and the selectors' decision to name him vice-captain. A regular in India's T20I squad, Axar Patel played an important role in India's victory in the T20 World Cup last year. He will look to make an impact with both bat and ball in the upcoming series against England.
“Being vice-captain comes with an extra responsibility. Sometimes we have to take tough decisions,” said Axar Patel.
Meanwhile, the first match of the series is scheduled to be played at Eden Gardens on Wednesday (January 22).