Boom or bust? Examining the performances of 5 former Indian cricketers who became national coaches
Anil Kumble's appointment as the head coach of the Indian team marks the end of an era of India being led by foreign coaches. With a lot of high profile Indian applicants for the top job and the BCCI keen to appoint someone who is familiar with the culture of the team, Kumble's appointment comes hardly as a surprise.
Before the new millennium, the Indian team had quite a few Indian legends who coached the team for over a decade until the appointment of John Wright marked a shift away from that trend. What has been the performance like of these Indian coaches who had been at the helm? Let us assess the performances of the five previous Indian cricket legends who became national coaches.
#1 Ajit Wadekar (1992 - 1996)
Ajit Wadekar is a stellar name in the Indian cricketing firmament as he is one of the few Indians to have served the nation as a player, captain, team manager, head coach and the chairman of selectors. He had a reasonably successful career as the Indian coach as the team scaled quite a few heights during his tenure.
The lynchpin of his success was his chemistry with the then Indian captain Mohammad Azharuddin. Under him, India registered some memorable victories like the 3-0 whitewashing of England at home. India also enjoyed a 14-match unbeaten streak in Tests between 1992 and 1994.
They also enjoyed remarkable success in ODIs winning the 1993 Hero Cup, the Singer World series, the Wills World series and the Titan Cup. During his tenure from 1992 to 1996, the careers of several great Indian cricketers like Mohammad Azharuddin and Sachin Tendulkar blossomed.