The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) officials are planning to add a new member to the coaching staff, who could possibly help the batting unit. Former England international Kevin Pietersen has expressed keen interest in the new role and revealed to be available to take up the position.
The performance of the Indian team in the recently concluded Australia series raised concerns and the officials weren’t happy with the performance of the senior batters – particularly Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. India struggled heavily with the bat, losing the five-match series 3-1. The captain was dropped from the fifth Test in Sydney and his future in red-ball cricket is under threat. Virat, on the other hand, will have to prove his mettle in the format to cement his place in the squad.
Reports previously claimed that BCCI officials were extremely unhappy with the performance of the batting unit in the Australia series and after consulting with the chief selector Ajit Agarkar, they are likely to add more experience in the coaching unit.
Currently, Abhishek Nayar and Ryan ten Doeschate serve as assistant coaches but neither of them managed an international team before. Gautam Gambhir too mentored Lucknow Super Giants and Kolkata Knight Riders previously but never served as a head coach of any team.
BCCI officials are mulling over the idea of bringing in an experienced former Indian cricketer with vast domestic knowledge into the fold. However, none of the officials have commented on the matter and neither did the board advertised for an opening in the coaching unit.
Meanwhile, Pietersen doesn’t have coaching experience either. He was a flamboyant cricketer and played 277 matches, scoring 13797 runs in international cricket. After retiring, he joined broadcasting and also plays a few legends leagues across the globe. Apart from that, Pietersen is also an environmentalist.