India names support staff for Ireland tour

NEW DELHI: National Cricket Academy coaches Sitanshu Kotak, Sairaj Bahutule and Munish Bali will be part of India’s support staff, who will be headed by VVS Laxman, for the short tour of Ireland later this month.

Kotak, who has been part of the India ‘A’ set-up earlier, will be the batting coach while Bali and Bahutule, who were part of the victorious U-19 World Cup campaign in the Caribbean earlier this year, have been handed the fielding and bowling duties. NCA head Laxman will coach the team in Ireland with the games scheduled on June 26 and June 28 in Malahide.

With head coach Rahul Dravid and the other senior team support staff set to depart for England with the Test squad later this week, the trio of Bali, Kotak and Bahutule has already joined the squad which is currently playing South Africa at home. “After the senior support staff depart for the England tour, Bali, Bahutule and Kotak will take over the duties for the remaining T20I against South Africa in Rajkot and Bengaluru.

“They have already been with the limited overs squad for a while; they will be ready for the task.”

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