Varun Chakaravarthy's Instagram story after BCCI sacks Abhishek Nayar creates ripples
Varun Chakaravarthy's Instagram story featured his and Abhishek Nayar's photo during a Kolkata Knight Riders' training session in the IPL.
Hours after news reports of BCCI prematurely terminating India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar's contract started making the rounds, leg-spinner Varun Chakaravarthy posted a story on Instagram for the former India all-rounder. Varun became the first and only prominent member of the current Indian side to react remotely to the development.
Varun's Instagram story featured his and Nayar's photo during a Kolkata Knight Riders' training session in the IPL. Varun didn't use a caption or emoji to describe the photograph; instead just tagged Abhishek Nayar in bright and bold letters. Interestingly, Instagram gives users multiple options to hide or submerge the tagged in the photograph but Chakaravarthy did not use any of those.
Before joining hands in the Indian side last year, Nayar and Varun spent a lot of time in the KKR camp. Varun and Nayar have been associated with KKR for a long time. Varun became a household name ever since joining KKR in IPL 2020 while Nayar's association with the Knights dates back to 2018 when he was first appointed the head of their academy.
KKR retained Varun twice ahead of the mega auctions for his consistent run for the franchise. Varun and Nayar also won the IPL last season. The latter was credited for playing a crucial role in creating a positive environment in the dressing room.
He, along with team mentor Gautam Gambhir, left KKR after being offered roles in Team India. Gambhir was appointed the head coach of the side after Rahul Dravid decided to move on following the T20 World Cup triumph, while Nayar took over as assistant coach.
Varun reunited with Gambhir and Nayar in the Indian side last year. The leg-spinner who had a successful return to the white-ball setup credited Nayar. Varun picked up 31 wickets in 12 T20Is since his comeback against Bangladesh. His impressive T20I record also earned him a late entry to India's Champions Trophy squad. He picked up 10 wickets in the tournament.
Varun's Instagram story may not include a caption or other details, but it was enough to suggest the spinner's bond with the former all-rounder.
Nayar was sacked just eight months into the assignment. According to reports, he was informed about the decision last week. Team India's defeats at home against New Zealand and the poor show by batters in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia are believed to be the main reasons behind Nayar's sacking.
The 41-year-old Nayar, a former all-rounder who played three ODIs but was largely a domestic stalwart with 103 first-class games.
