Some players achieve greatness with their game, whereas some of them achieve it with their mentoring. Few of them who are highly underrated and undervalued as players, eventually end up being great mentors and coaches. Amol Muzumdar is one such person who was underrated as a player but a great coach. And similar to Amol Muzumdar is another guy from Mumbai, who's now achieving greatness with his coaching. The person is Abhishek Nayar. A fine player in domestic circuit, he was undervalued as a player, but did wonders with his off-field guidance.

On Sunday post winning the IPL title, when Venkatesh Iyer heaped praises on Nayar, a lot of fans were perplexed on what significant contribution did he have on the game. But as the stories unfolded from many more players from the KKR contingent, one got to know the vital role Nayar played in shaping up the KKR team to the level of success it enjoys today. And as important the role of Gambhir and Chandrakant Pandit is to scale their team, equally important is Nayar's contribution to the franchise. Right from scouting the players, to nurturing them and eventually helping them perform at the highest level, Nayar did everything to ensure that the talents he trains are put to good use.

Being from the Mumbai circuit, he was always equipped with a solid technique to support his batting. And he did wonders while playing for Mumbai and had a fair share of success which their team had. The southpaw was an elegant hitter and a sweet timer of the cricket ball. And he achieved many accolades for the team. He also featured in IPL for a few teams and played 3 matches for Men in Blue. But after a certain point, understanding that his chances of going ahead are slim, he decided to quit and give it back to the game which gave him everything he desired. But little did everyone know, that he always had a mentor in him, even when he was still playing.

Not many know that Nayar has a significant role to play in resurrection of Rohit Sharma and Dinesh Karthik. Nayar recalls saying that he worked in unconventional ways to help Rohit. He made Rohit dig up the ground with a shovel, chop woods and run through mud at times. Training with Nayar helped Rohit massively and he then never looked back since 2013. Similar was the case with Karthik, when Nayar did all the right things to get Karthik back to normal after all what he faced in his personal life. He hired grounds in different locations pan India to acclimatize Karthik, and worked tremendously on making him psychologically strong. And the result of it was seen in Karthik's performance which followed.

Nayar himself was a psychologically very strong person, and he ensured that whosoever is coming to him is equipped with correct technique and enough mental strength to face the toughest challenges. The young sensation of KKR Angriksh Raghuvanshi was also trained by Nayar, and he credits Nayar for his success. Heaping praises on his coach he fondly says that I always follow whatever he says, as he always says only the things which would help me. He always does the right things to ensure that I am psychologically fit to counter any situation. Nayar's mentoring and Raghuvanshi's efforts helped the batter perform well in U-19 world cup 2022 and IPL 2024.

Knowing the abilities of Nayar as a mentor and coach, he was appointed as the mentor for Kolkata Knight Riders. And he did exceptionally well right since his tenure began. Bringing in the right talents, he increased the talent pool of the franchise, and setting up good goals for the players he ensured that they are prepared for the challenges. He had a huge role in selecting Karthik as their skipper in 2018. He also had a significant role to bring in Chandrakant Pandit in their dugout later on. After Gambhir left the franchise, it was a tough job to carry forward, but Nayar did it exceptionally well to build the team. And the team built by Nayar over the years, went on to win the trophy this year under the guidance of Gambhir.

He played his role to perfection for the team, and yet silently remained behind the camera in spite of all the hardwork he put. Which is why even if the fans don't have much idea about him, the players and coaches heavily trust him and credit him for the accolades they achieve. Which is why one sees Rohit Sharma and Dinesh Karthik always giving credit to their friend and mentor Abhishek Nayar for the turnaround he brought in their careers. And the same was a reason why Venkatesh Iyer termed Nayar as the most important man in the dugout who should be credited for the work he has done. Without a doubt, Abhishek Nayar is one of the finest mentors one could've ever found. And on the occasion of his team winning the title, we would like to congratulate him and express our gratitude towards him for all what he has done.