Team India has shown to be a dangerous opponent in recent years. While skipper Virat Kohli gets the most credit, head coach Ravi Shastri has done an amazing job keeping the team engaged and going throughout the years. India defeated Australia for the first time in 2018-19 and then again in 2020-21 under his leadership.
Over time, Shastri and Indian captain Virat Kohli formed a good friendship. Both have supported each other through difficult times, and their connection is admirable. Shastri’s contract was extended till the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. It’s possible that if India wins that tournament, Shastri’s time with the Indian squad would be over.
In this article, we look at 5 foreign coaches who should be considered for the position of the Indian Cricket Team.
1. Trevor Bayliss
Trevor Bayliss of Australia has a remarkable coaching resume. From 2015 to 2019, he led England’s journey from underachievers to World Champions in the 50-over format. In 2012 and 2014, he was a member of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) team that won two IPL titles. He is also the head coach of the Hyderabad SunRisers franchise. In 2007, Bayliss took over as coach of the Sri Lankan national team from Tom Moody. He led Sri Lanka to the 2011 World Cup final, which they lost, and then stepped down. In the 2011–12 season, Bayliss was the coach of the Sydney Sixers, who won the BBL title and the CLT20 title in the same year.
2. Mike Hesson
Mike Hesson, one of the first coaches to make judgments completely based on statistics, might be a unique but excellent choice as India’s head coach. Hesson and McCullum transformed New Zealand cricket by establishing a culture and style of play for the Black Caps. In 2016, his contract was extended until the end of the World Cup in 2019, however, he resigned in June 2018 to spend more time with his family. He also coached the Punjab Kings in the 2018 Indian Premier League and is now the Director of Cricket Operations for Royal Challengers Bangalore.
3. Tom Moody
Moody is another former cricketer who has attentively observed Indian players during his tenure with Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL. In 2016, SRH won the title under his leadership. He also served as a coach for the Sri Lankan national squad. He has also coached in the BBL and PSL, as well as serving as the Caribbean Premier League’s International Director of Cricket. Before the commencement of the IPL 2020 season, Moody was replaced as SRH’s head coach by Bayliss. He returned to SRH as Director of Cricket ahead of the IPL 2021 season. He has the potential to be a great Ravi Shastri successor.
4. Mahela Jayawardene
Former Sri Lankan cricketer Mahela Jayawardene built a name for himself as a solid middle-order batsman throughout his playing days. He was especially famous for nearly shattering the hearts of Indian cricket fans by getting a century in the 2011 World Cup final. Since his playing days, the graceful batsman has devoted himself to coaching and has more than shown his worth. Since 2017, the 43-year-old has been the head coach of the Mumbai Indians club in the Indian Premier League, where he has guided the team to three trophies. The Sri Lankan’s name will undoubtedly be considered for the position of head coach in the Indian squad due to his good grasp of a myriad of Indian players and his strong teaching talents.
5. Simon Katich
In 2016, Simon Katich joined the KKR setup as an assistant coach. Katich’s time at KKR was brief, but the Australian has since been in charge of the RCB franchise for the past two years. Katich, as a head coach, may have reinvigorated the red army with an immediate playoff qualification in IPL 2020 by working with Mike Hesson and skipper Virat Kohli. Overall, Katich has been open about how much he enjoys his coaching stints in the IPL, but he has yet to accept any coaching role with an international team.
