There may be a surprising addition to Gautam Gambhir's support staff, and he might not be Indian. It has been learned that the new India head coach is advocating for the inclusion of Ryan ten Doeschate in the team's backroom staff. The decision now lies with the BCCI, which has recently preferred only Indian personnel in the coaching crew.
NEW NAME ON THE TABLE
Gambhir pushes ten Doeschate's case for India coaching role
Ryan ten Doeschate is the current fielding coach at KKR. © BCCI
Gambhir, who has requested a free hand in managing the team, wants the 44-year-old former Dutch international as one of his associates. Ten Doeschate has recently worked with Gambhir at the Kolkata Knight Riders, having served as the team's fielding coach in the team's championship winning 2024. He also holds various positions with KKR's subsidiaries in the Caribbean Premier League, Major League Cricket and ILT20.
A viral video of Gambhir praising ten Doeschate was recently in circulation on social media. In the video, the former KKR mentor is seen stating that the Dutchman is the most selfless human being he has ever come across and that he would even be ready to take a bullet for him. "When I talk about selflessness, I have never said this in 42 years of my career. And I wanted to say this. The greatest team man I ever played with, the most selfless human being, someone I can take a bullet for, someone who I can trust for life.
"I can tell you this because in 2011, my first game as a KKR captain, we only had four overseas (players) available. And this man had a fabulous 50-over World Cup. And we went in that game with only three overseas players. He was carrying drinks in that game with no disappointment on his face. He taught me selflessness. Ryan ten Doeschate (sic)," Gambhir says in the video, shot at a KKR function last season. Those who know Gambhir say he tends to surround himself with people he trusts implicitly.
The current discussion centres around the position ten Doeschate might assume should he be considered. The BCCI reportedly wants to retain T Dilip, a member of Rahul Dravid's outgoing staff, as the fielding coach. In this scenario, ten Doeschate may be brought in as an assistant coach. However, there is a complication: Abhishek Nayar, who is