Rating the Indian Coaches who donned the hats since 2000
The history of the Indian Cricket team and their head coach is no less than a saga of alternative fortunes. Over the years, many mentors donned the hats of the coach for the Men in Blue. While some created history, others could only make the headlines. Each coach was accounted for the changes they brought to the team, albeit, not all were welcomed.
It is amusing how the role of the head coach of team India shares such an enduring bond with controversies. Since 2000, Indian coaches have given hundreds of stories to be recounted every time their name is mentioned. Pleasant or not, these stories have played a major role in building the status of this sport in India.
The latest controversies about Anil Kumble's role as the head coach and his eventual decision to put a halt to his tenure made us turn the pages of history all over again. Here, we have rated each of the national coach of India since 2000 summarising their term with the Indian Cricket Team.
John Wright (2000-2005) – 8/10
It was the year 2000, a phase so dark for the Indian Cricket team that it engulfed all the pride and reputation that Cricket had built over the years. Disheartened fans, bruised hopes and an aggrieved mass surrounded Indian cricket, scrutinising them with suspicious eyes. Mohammad Azharuddin, the then skipper, Ajay Jadeja and Manoj Prabhakar were accused of match-fixing. Captaincy was then handed to Sourav Ganguly but the team needed a mentor who can push them to move out of this deep trough.
Amidst all these chaos, former New Zeland captain John Wright walked in to alter the fate of Cricket in India. Appointed right ahead of Zimbabwe's tour, Wright also had to man the role of the manager for the Indian team. He was the first full-time coach appointed for the national team and the rest, as they say, is history. He and Sourav Ganguly conjointly built one of the most successful teams in the history of Indian Cricket and laid the foundations for the success in the years to come.
In 2001, India hosted the historic Test series in which they defeated Australia. The team then reached the final of 2003 ICC World Cup under Wright's guidance and then went on to win both the ODI as well as the Test series against Pakistan in their own backyard a year later.
Not only did he boost the performance of the team, but also played a key role in the major comebacks of many celebrated players. He is credited for the important milestones in the career of players like Sachin Tendulkar and Harbhajan Singh. Harbhajan's outstanding comeback in the 2001 series against Australia created history. He took 32 wickets in three-match Test series and led India to a series win over The Invincibles.
Wright promoted Tendulkar from the 4th position to the role of an opening batsman during the World Cup 2003. Sachin then went on to score 673 runs in the tournament. He also invested his trust in the legendary batsman when he failed to perform in the first three test during team India's Australia-tour. As a result, Tendulkar went on to construct one of his finest innings of 241 in the next Test.
| Matches | Won | Lost | Drwan/No Result | Win% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test | 51 | 20 | 15 | 16 | 39.22 |
| One-Day Internationals | 130 | 68 | 56 | 3 | 52.31 |
| Twenty20 Internationals | - | - | - | - | - |