Indonesia · Head Coach, Indonesia Men's & Women's National Teams

NitishSalekar

Former Thailand international. Builder of winning teams in emerging nations.

Head Coach & All-rounder
Right-hand bat
Right-arm fast

International matches coached: 70+
International titles as coach: 4
Wickets, CK Nayudu Trophy 2013–14: 15
Player of the Match awards for Thailand: 2

The story

Head coach of Indonesia's men's and women's national teams, Nitish is a former Thailand international and Maharashtra cricketer who has coached in more than 70 international matches and led teams to four international titles.

Nitish Salekar has spent more than 18 years in cricket, first as a player and now as one of the most successful coaches in emerging-nations cricket. He came through the Maharashtra Cricket Association system, playing BCCI age-group cricket from U-15 to U-25, and was part of Maharashtra's Ranji Trophy squad in 2013–14. That season he took 15 wickets and scored a half-century in the U-22 CK Nayudu Trophy, and in 2015 he was named Best Bowler of the Maharashtra Premier League and finished as the leading wicket-taker in the MCA Premier Division. He also played professionally for the Cricket Association of Pondicherry.

He turned to coaching in 2017, founding Sunrise Cricket School in Pune. Players he has coached over his career include India international Rahul Tripathi, former India A captain Ankeet Bawne, India U19 World Cup winner Sachin Dhas, and WPL cricketer Natthakan Chantam.

In 2022 he took charge of Thailand's women's senior, emerging and U19 programmes. Under him Thailand won the 2025 ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier, the 2025 Nepal Women's T20I Tri-Series, the 2024–25 Hong Kong Women's T20 Quadrangular and their 2023–24 tour of the Netherlands, and finished runners-up at the ICC Women's U19 World Cup Qualifier and the 2024 ACC Women's Premier Cup. He also coached Thailand's men to a bronze medal at the 2023 SEA Games.

He kept playing, too, as an international for Thailand's men. At the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier in Qatar he was the tournament's second-highest run-scorer and second-highest wicket-taker, with two Player of the Match awards, and he was part of the side that won the 2025 Sano Tri-Series in Japan.

In February 2026 he became head coach of both Indonesia's men's and women's national teams. Within months he led Indonesia's women to a historic third-place finish at the ACC Premier Cup, earning the country's first-ever qualification for the ACC Women's Asia Cup and the Asia Cup Rising Stars. He is an ICC Level 2 coach and ICC Level 2 tutor, and has coached in more than 70 international matches.

His ambition is clear: to be the best coach in women's cricket, and to keep building competitive international teams in emerging cricket nations.

I build competitive international cricket teams in emerging nations.
— Nitish Salekar

Achievements

Head Coach, Indonesia Men's & Women's National Teams (2026 to present)
Third place, ACC Women's Premier Cup (2026): Indonesia's first-ever Women's Asia Cup qualification
Champions, ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier (2025), as Thailand head coach
Champions, Nepal Women's T20I Tri-Series (2025) and Hong Kong Women's T20 Quadrangular (2024–25)
Bronze medal, SEA Games (2023), as Thailand men's coach
Thailand international: 2nd-highest run-scorer and wicket-taker, ICC Men's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier
Maharashtra Ranji Trophy squad (2013–14)
Best Bowler, Maharashtra Premier League (2015)
ICC Level 2 Coach and ICC Level 2 Tutor