Cricket garnered popularity like no other sport in India; so did all the players. Having placed all these players on pedestals of glory to be idolised and admired, most of these fans forget to attribute enough credit to the coaches that led the team to victory. All competent coaches paved the long and rough path to the top position that the team has achieved in the past decades. Although praises for success rushed to the players, due credit for the coaches was given in the later stages. Fans have grown to follow the training methods and techniques that the players are guided with during the preps. Here we are looking at the coaches that have contributed immensely towards the team’s current eminence.
1. John Wright
One of the most fruitful decades for the Indian cricket team started with the sordid episodes of match-fixing accusations. When Mohammad Azharuddin and Ajay Jadeja took the team’s reputation down the rabbit hole, two other legends stepped into the arena to purge the disgrace that entailed with the name of the country. Sourav Ganguly slid into the shoes of the captain when John Wright led the way as the coach. He was the first foreigner Indian cricket team coach who teamed up with Ganguly to bring about significant changes to the lineup. As the budding talents like Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag, and Zaheer Khan were brought upfront, the team started tasting success like never before. The team broke Australia’s streak of wins under the tutelage of Wright. He also helped them through the initial hurdles to the biggest achievement of reaching the finals in the 2003 South Africa World Cup.
2. Gary Kristen
The debacle that the Indian team witnessed at the 2007 World Cup led to the resignation of their coach Greg Chappell. Strength and victory became constant companions of the team after Gary Kristen stepped into the mess. As players like Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, and Rohit Sharma rose to fame and reputation, Gary capitalised on their skills to take the team to unprecedented heights. Victories under the coaching of Gary Kristen include the Test series against New Zealand, 2 Test series against Australia, and the biggest of all-the 2011 World Cup. The bond that Gary and Dhoni shared did indeed help the team as a whole to strive towards glory.
3. Anil Kumble
The former Indian cricket player who was a legendary bowler had no much time to prove his efficiency as a coach. But he moulded a team with all the resources he had to make them stride to significant achievements. Kumble’s entry took the team on a winning streak in the ODI series. The only countries to defeat the strong team in those years were West Indies in the T20 series and Pakistan in the 2017 Champions trophy finals. If not for the abrupt resignation of Kumble, the team would have tasted more successes to being the unparalleled team in the forefront.