New Delhi, Dec 20 (NationPress) Troy Cooley’s role as the fast bowling coach at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence (CoE) has officially concluded. The esteemed Australian coach joined the team in late 2021 with the mission of developing and cultivating India’s future fast bowling talents.

During his time, he collaborated closely with the pace bowlers while working alongside VVS Laxman, who is the head of cricket at CoE, formerly recognized as the National Cricket Academy (NCA). Cooley also served as the bowling coach for the Indian women's team during the T20 World Cup held in South Africa in February 2023 and played a similar role for the India men's A team during their England tour earlier this year.

According to sources from IANS, Cooley, aged 60, is set to vacate the CoE facility on Saturday. Currently, there has been no official announcement regarding his successor, which leaves another gap in the coaching framework at CoE.

Just a month prior, Rajib Datta concluded his tenure as the bowling coach and lead faculty at CoE. In August, the BCCI had released advertisements seeking resident faculty in both batting and bowling disciplines. Additionally, the position for the head of sports science and medicine at CoE remains unfilled.

Following the departure of former head Nitin Patel, an advertisement was published in August inviting potential candidates for this vital position. However, IANS reports that there is still no update on who will occupy this essential role.

Last month, the BCCI called for applications for the position of Head – Cricket Education at CoE after Sujith Somasunder left to become the vice-president of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA). The deadline for applications was December 8, and it is uncertain how long it will take to appoint someone.

As players across both men’s and women’s teams require continuous monitoring and support due to their demanding schedules, Indian cricket must prioritize filling these critical roles at CoE without further delay.

Furthermore, IANS has reported that Munish Bali has transitioned out of CoE to focus entirely on the India women’s team, taking on a role similar to that of batting coach Sitanshu Kotak with the men's team.

Bali, who contributed to the coaching staff when the Harmanpreet Kaur-led team secured victory in the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup at home, was initially contracted at CoE before making a full-time commitment to the national women’s team.

Additionally, it’s known that AI Harrsha will continue serving as the strength and conditioning coach for the India women’s team during the upcoming five-match T20I series against Sri Lanka, commencing in Visakhapatnam on Sunday.

The anticipated arrival of Nathan Kiely, who was expected to join the Indian women’s team as their S&C coach, is still pending. Kiely, based in Australia, previously resigned from his position as the S&C coach for the Bangladesh men’s team in October due to personal reasons. There is hope that he may join the team during their all-format tour of Australia scheduled from February 15 to March 6 next year.