As Puducherry gears up for its debut Ranji Trophy this season, the Cricket Association of Puducherry (CAP) has approached veteran Mumbai cricketer Abhishek Nayar.
While the CAP officials claimed that the Mumbai stalwart would feature for the new entrant this season, Nayar told Sportstar on Monday evening that he 'hasn't decided anything on the offer' yet.
He, however, admitted that the CAP has indeed given him an offer as a player-cum-coach.
“We had approached him (Nayar) to represent as a player-cum-coach. He can’t take up coaching responsibilities since he has other commitments but he may be available as a player,” P. Damodaran, the secretary of CAP, told Sportstar .
With Nayar unavailable for the coaching role, the association is already in talks with a ‘noted former cricketer’ for the coaching job.
Sources in the know of things, however, have indicated that the scenario on whether Nayar plays for Puducherry could be clear by early next month.
A seasoned campaigner, Nayar was left out of Mumbai squad halfway into the Ranji Trophy, last season. The 34-year-old, since then, has not played first-class cricket.
Known for guiding the likes of Dinesh Karthik and Rohit Sharma overcome tough phases, Nayar joined as a support staff with Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League this year (IPL).
Significantly, he was left out of Mumbai’s pre-season camp, which was held last month.
But with another season coming up, it would be interesting to see whether Nayar - who has featured in 99 first-class games for Mumbai - actually takes up the new assignment.
Decks were cleared for Puducherry last year as the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) announced that the union territory will be eligible to play the premier tournament.
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