When was the last time India had an overseas coach in their setup
With former batter Gautam Gambhir becoming the new head coach of the Indian team, various speculations have been rife about his support staff. According to the reports, Gambhir has asked the BCCI to appoint Abhishek Nayar as the batting coach and Ryan Ten Doeschate as the fielding coach.
Both players held the same positions for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) during IPL 2024 when Gambhir was the franchise's mentor. During the season, a video went viral on social, where Gambhir praised Ten Doeschate, labeling him as the 'greatest team man' and 'someone whom he can trust for life.'
However, the BCCI hasn't been a strong proponent of having an overseas staff over the years. However, this case might be different, as the head coach reportedly wants the former Dutch all-rounder to be one of his associates.
Let's take a look at which foreign face was last in charge of the national team.
Duncan Fletcher was the last overseas coach of the Indian team
In April 2011, former Zimbabwe cricketer Duncan Fletcher replaced Gary Kisten as the head coach of the Indian team after they lifted the ODI World Cup in Mumbai.
Although the Indian team started well with a 2-0 win in the Test series against the West Indies, they faced a humiliating 0-4 Test series loss against England and followed it by a 0-3 defeat in the ODI series. A few months later, Australia dominated India with a 4-0 scoreline in the red-ball format.
The 2012 T20 World Cup saw India fail to reach the knockouts, after falling short due to an inferior net run rate.
Surprisingly, the MS Dhoni-led side lost a home series against England with a scoreline of 1-2 in 2012. It was their first Test series defeat at home since Australia beat them 2-1 in the 2007-08 series. Nevertheless, the Indian squad secured a 4-0 red-ball series victory at home in 2013.
Thereafter, India went on to win all five games to lift the 2013 Champions Trophy, which was the most successful moment for Fletcher during his tenure.
However, India lost two away Test series, 0-1 to South Africa and 0-1 against New Zealand, which put the team under incessant pressure.
In 2014, things did not improve as the Indian team faced a shattering 3-1 away loss in the Test series to England but won with the same scoreline in the ODI format. Their horrendous form continued in the longest format as they were handed a 2-0 away loss to Australia.
The 2014 T20 World Cup saw India win all four group games to enter the knockouts. Then, they prevailed over South Africa in the semifinal, but Sri Lanka proved to be a handy customer to handle in the final, as they emerged as a runner-up.
Then, the 2015 World Cup witnessed India again remaining unbeaten in six group games. But, the side again lacked the potency and ability to withstand the pressure of a knockout game and lost by 95 runs against Australia in the semifinals.
Duncan Fletcher's coaching record for India
Under Duncan Fletcher, the Indian team had an abysmal record in the Test format, as they could win only 13 out of 39 games. However, the ODIs and T20Is saw teams record a winning percentage of around 60, which was depicted in their relatively impressive performances in ICC events as well.
Fletcher ended his tenure after India's 2015 World Cup campaign, and his contract was not renewed. Then, the Indian team had full-time coaches in Ravi Shastri (2017-21) and Rahul Dravid (2021-24). Recently, Gautam Gambhir was appointed the head coach of the national team.