V. R. Dinesh Nayak (born 17 May 1972 in Ernakulam, Kerala) is a field hockey defender from India, who made his international debut for the Men's National Team in 1993 during the test series against Kenya.

Nicknamed Kaka, Nayak represented his native country at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, where India finished in seventh place.

This is where his talent was discovered by future Indian hockey coaches, viz., Rapheal, Bhaskaran, Carvalho, Cedric etc.

From 1993-2004 he used to be a constant fixture in the Indian National team either in junior or senior level.

Dinesh Nayak at present is associated with Indian Bank as an Assistant General Manager and is based at Mumbi.