BCCI hands T. Dilip one-year contract for yet another term as fielding coach

T. Dilip has been re-appointed for India’s upcoming five-match Test series against England, which will begin on June 20. This decision comes just a month after he was relieved of his duties along with other support staff by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

Dilip was widely recognised for highlighting the best fielders during the ODI and T20 World Cup during his first term, which grabbed him a lot of praise for his unique way to prioritize the most underrated aspect of the match, and has been handed a continual with the national side once again. The BCCI had been exploring the possibility of appointing an overseas fielding coach but could not find a suitable candidate.

“We have decided to re-appoint Dilip for a year, and he will be travelling with the Indian team to England. His contract, for now, is for one year,” a source within the Indian board confirmed as quoted by The Indian Express.

Dilip has worked closely with young cricketers such as Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal, and has been a long-serving staff member at Bengaluru's National Cricket Academy (NCA), now the Centre of Excellence. The veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has praised Dilip for his role in improving India’s slip-catching standards, which will be crucial in English conditions.

“Close-in catching, especially at short-leg, is incredibly difficult. You don’t often find good fielders in those positions. Jaiswal himself volunteers to stand there, which speaks volumes. Dilip sir does a lot of one-on-one work as well. It’s unfortunate that his name hasn't been mentioned more prominently,” Ashwin said.

Gill unlikely to turn up for 2nd tour game

The Indian team will travel to England with head coach Gautam Gambhir, fielding coach T. Dilip, batting coach Sitanshu Kotak, bowling coach Morne Morkel, and assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate. The former Dutch cricketer was asked to assist the India A team in their two matches against the England Lions before joining the senior squad. Notably, India A are being coached by Hrishikesh Kanitkar on the UK tour.

India’s Test captain Shubman Gill is likely to miss the second tour match at Northampton, which is scheduled for June 6. Gill is currently leading the Gujarat Titans (GT) in IPL 2025, and the franchise has qualified for the Playoffs as well. With the IPL final set for June 3, his arrival in England may be delayed. The team management has decided to give him rest ahead of the two-month tour. His batting partner at GT - B. Sai Sudharsan might also delay his joining with the India A squad.