In July 2024, Abhishek Nayar joined the Indian team as an assistant coach. The move was lauded. Nayar had helped Dinesh Karthik resurrect his career and even trained Rohit Sharma regularly. He was part of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) support staff when they won the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season as well.

However, after losing the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Nayar was let go by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). However, during this time, Nayar had already done a great deal of good. Rohit, who was India’s ODI and Test captain during his tenure, had instructed him to bring the best out of KL Rahul.

Abhishek Nayar’s effect on KL Rahul

The duo started working together. The senior batter produced great performances in Australia and then backed that up in the 2025 Champions Trophy and IPL 2025. After India won their second ICC title in 9 months, Rahul specifically thanked Nayar. That was despite him no longer being part of India’s coaching staff.

When Rohit and Virat Kohli announced their Test retirements in May, Rahul became India’s senior-most batter. He knew the responsibility fell on his shoulders. So, Rahul prepared like it. He played a match for India A, but before that, Rahul trained under Nayar in Mumbai.

IPL ended on May 24. Rahul was in the red-ball zone from the next day. And his hard work has paid off. He finished with 532 runs in 5 matches. An average of 53.20 with 2 hundreds and 2 fifties. He’s been India’s best batter after Shubman Gill. Done the most difficult job, opening in England, with ease.

What changes has KL Rahul made?

What has Rahul been doing in the last 6-8 months that he’s found success, unlike before in Test cricket? Nayar won’t reveal that. But he admits Rahul has made a few changes. And he thinks it’s all come together at the right time for him.

“I can’t talk about the changes that I’ve seen in KL Rahul. I can’t, because then it’s out there and the effectiveness goes down a lot. All I can say is that, whatever the changes are, they have worked. Sometimes, and I always say in a cricketer’s journey and a team’s journey, things need to click. You need a bit of luck,” Nayar told PTI.

Rahul left his young daughter for the England tour and has been hyper-focused on Test cricket ever since the IPL ended. The results are for everyone to see.

“He has worked very, very hard. There are very, very few people who know this that after the birth of his child, he was in the IPL (and) he came back immediately. He started preparing for the (England) Test series while a lot of people wouldn’t have done that. He knew the importance of this series; he understood it.”

“And every minute post the last game that he played in the IPL was about how he can do well in this Test series, so it’s great to see him do well there and get the recognition that he rightly deserves, being the guy who’s done all the dirty jobs,” Nayar added.