Abhishek Nayar has been around plenty of dressing-rooms, yet his first month in charge of UP Warriorz has left him admitting the job is “not been easy”. The former India all-rounder stepped in as head coach shortly before the Women’s Premier League began, and three defeats on the bounce quickly underlined how steep the learning curve can be.
“I’m wrapping my head around it,” he confessed after a much-needed victory over Mumbai Indians. A straight-talker by nature, he believed his usual style would transfer seamlessly. It hasn’t. Several coaches, he says, advised him beforehand: ‘listen, be direct’. That is still the guiding principle, but the delivery has shifted.
“In men’s cricket sometimes, because you’ve worked with them for a long time, there is that trust. So you say a certain thing, if you say ‘listen, go over covers’, they will know which ball to do it to, how to do it. In women’s cricket, I think the attention to detail is a little more, so sometimes you need to sort of break it down in a lot of ways, and it’s not as obvious as you think it is. So I feel it’s a more hands-on job.”
The early evidence backs him up. Warriorz began the tournament with a brittle top order and a bowling unit still searching for the right patterns. Nayar has leaned heavily on conversation and clarity, even if that means repeating the message.
“I’m also teaching myself every day that, ‘listen Abhishek, open your mouth, talk’, and you sometimes have to do it,” he said. “They [players] are so receptive to it, it’s amazing, in men’s cricket you have to be very ‘what to talk, what not to’. I think in women’s cricket, they are very receptive, so you can actually talk to them, you can get into those details. But I think trust takes time, and I’m working around that. I mean, Harleen and these things happen, and things come out [and] it becomes harder for me. It’s different, it’s fun, it’s challenging, it’s testing me in every which way, and sort of preparing me for the IPL also, in a different way. But I would say it’s not been easy.”
That reference to Harleen Deol covers the much-publicised retired-out call in the second match, a decision reached after a mid-over chat involving captain and coach. It highlighted the fine balance between tactics and individual pride. Nayar insists the dialogue was honest and respectful, though he accepts outside noise made the episode look messier than it felt internally.
Meg Lanning’s arrival as captain has already steadied much of that. The Australian is Nayar’s on-field conduit and, by his reckoning, the glue after a shaky start.
“Coaches always play that role of creating an environment and a system, but if you don’t have a good leader, it’s hard to win after three losses. Meg Lanning is hands-on,” he observed. “As she’s getting a grip of the team, she’s having more conversations, she’s talking to people, she’s involved, she’s talking about plans. As games go on, I’m getting to see the real Meg Lanning.”
Recruiting Lanning at the auction was, therefore, less luxury and more necessity. A proven batter, yes, but primarily a decision-maker comfortable under pressure. “With time, she’ll go strength to strength; she is meticulous,” Nayar adds, painting a picture of meetings where the captain drills bowlers on fields and lengths before turning to the batters about strike-rotation.
The squad itself is a mix. Younger Indian players such as Kiran Navgire and Parshavi Chopra sit alongside experienced overseas names. That mean-age disparity forces coaches to straddle two communication styles: technical for the novices, tactical for the seasoned. Nayar notes that establishing shared terminology is part of his daily workload. Words like “powerplay par score” or “death-over triangle” get a quick explainer, ensuring everyone nods in the same direction before nets begin.
From a strategic perspective, Warriorz were light on left-arm seam, so Nayar has trialled all-rounder Tara Norris in short bursts up front. Bowling coach Anju Jain wanted an extra leg-spinner; Poonam Yadav has re-entered the frame after tweaking her run-up. The changes are incremental, reflecting a side still forming rather than one tearing up blueprints.
Analytically, the numbers told their own story. Across the first three defeats, UPW conceded 9.3 an over in the last five overs, the second-worst in the league. Against Mumbai the figure dropped to 7.2, thanks partly to Lanning’s willingness to hold back a spinner for the 18th. Small adjustments, big outcome.
Yet coaching is rarely linear. The schedule hands Warriorz back-to-back fixtures next week; rotation may be inevitable. Nayar is wary of tinkering too much, though he knows bench players need eyes-up cricket to stay ready. A couple of optional sessions have been scrapped in favour of team dinners—moments, he hopes, that strengthen trust away from camera glare.
Former India batter Hemang Badani, who mentored Sunrisers Hyderabad’s women’s set-up last year, feels Nayar’s candour will serve him well. “He’s never been afraid to admit what he doesn’t know,” Badani tells us. “That humility resonates with players.”
There is, however, limited room for lengthy transitions in a five-team league. Slip again and Warriorz could be playing catch-up for a play-off place. Nayar is aware, but philosophical.
“You live and you learn,” he shrugged, heading towards the away dressing-room. No grand declarations, just a coach still discovering how best to speak—and listen—to a new audience.
