The BCCI has decided to reappoint T Dilip as the fielding coach of India. His contract came to an end last month, with the board initially not extending it. Dilip came into the team in late 2021 under Rahul Dravid as the head coach, and his contract got over when Dravid stepped down after India's win in the 2024 T20 World Cup. Dilip was kept for one more year by Gautam Gambhir and the new support staff. Reports in April indicated that BCCI was not planning to retain him. But late for over two months, after searching in vain for a foreign fielding coach, the board again turned to Dilip and gave him a further one-year contract. BCCI source told Indian Express: “We have decided to reappoint Dilip for a year and he will be travelling with the Indian team for England. His contract so far is for one year.” Dilip has impressed working with the team. He gained some acclaim for giving awards to players for their fielding efforts after each game, which was seen during the 2023 ODI World Cup and the 2024 T20 World Cup. Ravichandran Ashwin has also credited him with sharpening India's slip catching. Ashwin had said: “Close-in catching, in places like short-leg, is a very difficult thing. You don’t get good fielders like this. Jaiswal himself volunteers and stands up. He also does head-to-head work. So, all in all, we didn’t get to see Dilip sir’s name not getting mentioned more prominently.” Critical will be the slip fielding as India goes to England for a five-Test series, and it would seem wise if BCCI has brought Dilip back. Rahul, Gill, and Yashaswi have provided solid slip fielding, and Dilip should offer similar contributions. Indian players are scheduled to depart around June 6 in company of head coach Gautam Gambhir, batting coach Sitanshu Kotak, bowling coach Morne Morkel, assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate, and fielding coach T Dilip.