Coaching is a challenging profession, especially when it involves a national team. The national team players are mature enough to manage themselves, but the coach has a difficult task in pointing out their flaws and inadequacies and assisting them in correcting them. The coach also needs to deal with the team’s egos. He must be impartial in making judgments that may not be popular with the general public. He must labor behind the scenes to ensure the team’s success.
A good coach is one who constantly works behind the scenes yet is still one of the most important factors in his team’s success. Despite providing their players with training lessons and the desire to succeed, these mentors are sometimes underappreciated, even when their teams do well.
1.Gary Kirsten
Kirsten, a South African left-handed opener, was India’s most successful, if not the most successful, coach in the country’s history. Team India had experienced a humiliating loss in the 2007 World Cup and had also had a difficult time with Greg Chappell as coach before Kirsten took over. When the former South African opener came in India, though, he proved to be a godsend for the Indians, who were anxious to get back on track. For India, the Gary Kirsten-MS Dhoni combo performed well. With the help of his seniors – Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, and VVS Laxman – Dhoni led India to the top of the Test rankings in September 2009. In 2011, his team gave him the ultimate send-off by winning the ICC ODI World Cup for the first time in 28 years in his final big campaign for India.
2.John Wright
India’s first foreign coach was John Wright, a former New Zealand captain. When the Indian squad was going through a particularly trying period, he took over the reins. Match-fixing charges were leveled against Mohammad Azharuddin, Manoj Prabhakar, and Ajay Jadeja. Wright coached India from 2000 to 2005, during which time the team improved dramatically, winning a home Test series 2–1 against Australia, drawing a test series 1–1 in Australia in a four-match series in 2003–04, winning a series against arch-rivals Pakistan, and reaching the final of the 2003 ODI World Cup in South Africa.
3.Duncan Fletcher
Duncan Fletcher, a Zimbabwe veteran, succeeded Gary Kirsten following Zimbabwe’s historic World Cup victory in 2011. He was fantastic in limited-overs cricket, but he struggled horribly in Test cricket. Despite a shaky start to the year, Fletcher guided the squad to its first bilateral series victory in England in 24 years. In Test cricket, the years 2011-2012 were a nightmare for India. Fletcher’s coaching career came to an end in 2014 when India was foiled on overseas tours by both England and Australia. India reached the semi-finals of the 2015 World Cup, which was hosted in Australia and New Zealand, but lost to eventual champions Australia. In the World Cup, India went on a seven-match winning streak.
4.Ravi Shastri
The current Indian coach is Ravi Shastri, an Indian all-rounder who is most known for his commentary. After a public dispute between Indian captain Virat Kohli and previous coach and ace spinner Anil Kumble, he was named head coach. The Kohli-Shastri combination recaptured the top spot in Test cricket. India won Test matches in South Africa, England, and Australia in 2018, something they had never done previously. On the 13th of June, when the World Cup 2019 was in process, the BCCI confirmed that Shastri’s contract will be extended for another 45 days following the event. He was re-appointed as the head coach of the senior men’s Indian side on August 16, 2019, with his new contract running till the ICC T20 World Cup in India in 2021.
5.Ajit Wadekar
Ajit Wadekar, a former Indian captain, coached the national team from 1992 to 1996. Along with Mohammad Azharuddin, he was responsible for some of India’s most illustrious victories. India thrashed England 3-0 at home during his stint as coach and stayed undefeated in Tests for a record-breaking 14 matches from 1992 to 1994. The Men in Blue also excelled in one-day international competitions, winning many, including the 1993 five-nation Hero Cup at home, the Singer World Series in Sri Lanka, the Wills World Series, and the Titan Cup in India.
