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India’s newly appointed T20I vice-captain Axar Patel has said he has no idea about the change in the 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 after the team’s dismal performance in the last two Test series. India suffered a humiliating 3-0 defeat in the home Test series against New Zealand. It ended India’s unbeaten streak at home dating back to the 2012/13 season.
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 reclaiming it in 2017. The defeats also ended the India’s hopes of qualifying for the World Test Championship for the third time. in line
Head coach Gautam Gambhir and batting coach Sitanshu Kotak having a long talk from the last 20 minutes and counting. @RevSportzGlobal pic.twitter.com/DH9TfdryNI
— Subhayan Chakraborty (@CricSubhayan) January 20, 2025
With the team underperforming against New Zealand and Australia, the support staff have found themselves in the firing line. According to recent reports, the 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.
While the BCCI is yet to make the formal 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:
“Regarding 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 been discussing what we want to do in the games” .
Although Kotak has been added to the support staff, the BCCI has decided not to sack any other members. Gautam Gambhir is currently the head coach of the team, while Abhishek Nayar and Ryan ten Doeschate are the 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 the decision of the team management and the selectors to appoint him as the vice-captain. Axar Patel, a regular in India’s T20I team, played a major role in India’s victory in the T20 World Cup last year. He will be looking to make an impact with both bat and ball in the upcoming series against England.
“Being vice-captain comes with an added responsibility. Sometimes we have to take tough decisions,” said Axar Patel.
Meanwhile, the first match of the series is scheduled to be played at the Eden Gardens on Wednesday (January 22).
