Comparing Ravi Shastri with other coaches team India has had
The recent debacle in England has put the focus back on Indian team's coaching staff. This series was marred by a lot of tactical errors from Indian team management, from the wrong selection to insufficient preparation.
This will spark a debate about the ability of the coach and his support staff. It is often said that a coach or a captain is as good as the team. Having said that, decisions which are taken in the dressing room are the responsibility of the team management and they cannot absolve themselves from the efficacy of those decisions.
There are bound to be comparisons from the predecessors. Let's see how good prior Indian coaches were, by looking at their track record since John Wright.
#1 John Wright (November 2000-April 2005)
Test winning percentage: 40%
ODI winning percentage: 52%
John Wright was India's first foreign coach. He was a man of few words and possessed a calm demeanour. He was a former New Zealand opening batsman.
Wright formed an excellent partnership with Indian Captain Saurav Ganguly and together they took Indian Cricket from the low of the match-fixing saga to the high of winning Test matches abroad.
During his tenure, India played 52 Test matches out of which they won 21 matches and lost 15, which translates into a winning percentage of 40%. Talking about ODI's India won 68 matches out of 130 played and lost 56, ODI winning percentage translates into 52%.
#2 Greg Chappell (May 2005-April 2007)
Test winning percentage: 39%
ODI winning percentage: 51%
Arguably, one of the most turbulent phases of Indian cricket, Greg Chappell's tenure had its highs and lows. India won a one day series in Pakistan and won their first ever test in South Africa, which were the high points of his tenure. His showdown with Saurav Ganguly and India's early exit from the 2007 World Cup were the low points of his tenure.
During his tenure, India played 18 Test matches out of which they won 7 matches and lost 4, which translates into a winning percentage of 39%. Talking about ODI's India won 32 matches out of 62 played and lost 27, ODI winning percentage translates into 51%.