India tour of Ireland: Kotak, Bali, Bahutule to be part of support staff

NCA coaches Sitanshu Kotak, Sairaj Bahutule and Munish Bali will be part of India’s support staff for its short tour of Ireland later this month.

Former Saurashtra batter Sitanshu Kotak will be India’s batting coach during the tour of Ireland.

National Cricket Academy coaches Sitanshu Kotak, Sairaj Bahutule and Munish Bali will be part of India cricket team’s support staff for its short tour of Ireland later this month.

Kotak will be the batting coach while Bali and Bahutule have been handed the fielding and bowling duties, respectively. 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, Bali, Kotak and Bahutule have already joined the squad currently playing South Africa at home.

“After the senior support staff departs for the England tour, Bali, Bahutule and Kotak will take over the duties for the remaining T20 against South Africa in Rajkot and Bengaluru. They have already been with the limited overs squad for a while and by the time the senior support staff leaves for England, they will be ready for the task,” a BCCI official told PTI .

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The squad for the Ireland series is yet to be announced. The short tour coincides with the tour of England where India plays the rescheduled fifth Test against England from July 1. India lead the series 2-1.

Before that, India will play a four-day warm-up game against Leicestershire from June 24-27. India will field a team of primarily T20 specialists against Ireland but a full strength squad is expected for the white-ball leg of England tour comprising three T20s and as many ODIs from July 7.