Abhishek Nayar was one of the main architects behind Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) winning the IPL 2024. While being interviewed by Harsha Bhogle after KKR won the 2024 IPL Final, Varun Chakravarthy and Venkatesh Iyer spoke highly about the role played by assistant coach Abhishek Nayar in orchestrating their success. "All I can think of right now is the person who built this Indian core. The main guy behind this is Abhishek Nayar," said Chakravarthy.
He has often been credited for selecting the Indian core of the team. Recently, he appeared in a podcast conducted by YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia, where he encountered a question, that many may regard as a taboo.
"Final topic, sex in cricket? Is it a factor in the lives of players?" the anchor asked.
"Are you asking this in a positive way or negative way? You have asked a very open ended question. It will happen. Which human being will survive without it. But is it good or bad, is that your question? or your question is 'kitna hota hai?'" Nayar replied.
"I want to answer this, but I want to see what you answer is with me telling," the anchor replied.
"It's normal for anyone to do it," Nayar then said. "It's different for everybody. There is this constant fight and conundrum in every cricketer's mind. Some people will like it, some will abstain. So, there is no thumb rule."
Abhishek Nayar has also played a significant role in developing the young Indian core that KKR has banked on. Apart from being the assistant coach, he has also been the mentor and head coach of the KKR Academy. One such starlet he's seen rise is 18-year-old Angkrish Raghuvanshi. His father Avneesh thanked Nayar on Instagram.
"Dear Abhishek Nayar sir. Your first words to us were "I want to make Angkrish a good human and then a cricketer"... seems like a plan on track," he wrote.