Including Rahul Dravid, who is coaching India on Sri Lanka Tour, Team India has had 25 Head Coaches till now. This includes the interim candidates and also those who were the managers of Team India. In this article, we take a look at five popular Indian coaches who had a stint of just around one year.
Being the coach of the Indian Cricket Team is a tough job. There is mountainous pressure and constant criticism that a coach needs to deal with. However, coaches like John Wright and Gary Kirsten have found success amidst this. Some Indian coaches, though, have had a hard time at the helm of affairs.
1) Anil Kumble (2016 – 2017)
Anil Kumble found immense success as the Head Coach of Team India. Under him, in thirteen Tests, India lost only one game. Almost every opposition was brushed off under the coaching of the former leg-spinner. However, a few seniors, including Virat Kohli, were said to have reservations about his style of coaching. Hence, for the good of Indian cricket, Kumble tendered his resignation, within just around one year of his appointment. Currently, Kumble is serving as the Head Coach of Punjab Kings in IPL.
2) Kapil Dev (1999 – 2000)
Kapil Dev is a massive name in Indian cricket circles. However, even he happens to be one of the popular Indian coaches who had a stint of just around one year. Kapil’s tenure started decently, but with whitewashes to Australia and South Africa, his popularity came down. Most importantly, it was when he was at the helm that the entire match-fixing fiasco happened in Indian cricket. Former player Manoj Prabhakar even said that Kapil Dev was involved in it. Under pressure, the World Cup-winning skipper resigned from the post.
3) BS Bedi (1990 – 1991)
Bishan Singh Bedi is one of the legendary spinners that Team India has seen. He was one of the first candidates who were at the helm when the role of team’s manager transitioned to a team’s Head Coach. BS Bedi was a man of strong opinions. Even now, the former left-arm spinner does not hesitate in giving his ideas about the modern-day game. His coaching stint is remembered for one of his comments when he said that he would dump the entire team in the sea after performing badly in a tournament.
4) Madan Lal (1996 – 1997)
Madan Lal is also one of the Indian coaches who had a stint of just around one year. He succeeded Sandeep Patil in the post. One of Madan Lal’s major achievements was that he executed home victories in all the formats against Australia and South Africa. However, it was on the tour to West Indies that the team came crashing down. There was a disappointing loss and a few weeks later, his tenure came to an end.
5) Salim Durani (1980 – 1981)
Salim Durrani was the fifth Head Coach of Team India, although the role was called as ‘manager’ at that time. Born in Afghanistan, Salim played 29 Tests in all. He was an all-rounder and was famous for his six-hitting abilities. Even he had a stint of just around a year at the helm. Ashok Mankad was his replacement.
