Gautam Gambhir became the 26th Head Coach of Team India. The Women’s Team has also had nine Head Coaches till now. Here, we take a look at a strong playing XI comprising Head Coaches in Indian Cricket History.
BCCI has usually appointed former Indian cricketers as the Head Coach. However, in the past, they also had some foreign candidates in the role.
Openers: Gautam Gambhir and Gary Kirsten
Gautam Gambhir is the current coach of Team India. There are a lot of expectations from him as a coach, especially after his stint at KKR. Gary Kirsten won India the ODI World Cup after a gap of 28 years. He will forever remain in the history books of Team India.
Middle-Order: Rahul Dravid (WK), Greg Chappell, Sandeep Patil and VVS Laxman
Rahul Dravid helped India win the 2024 T20 World Cup. He will keep wickets for this side. Back in 1996, Sandeep Patil was the Head Coach of Team India. Greg Chappell’s stint as the Head Coach was the most controversial one for Team India. He was at the helm between 2005 and 2007. VVS Laxman went on many tours as the Head Coach and in the recent Zimbabwe series, he was the Interim Head Coach. Hence, he is also on this list.
All-Rounders: Ravi Shastri, Sanjay Bangar and Kapil Dev (C)
It is a strong group of all-rounders for this playing XI comprising Head Coaches in Indian Cricket History. Ravi Shastri was the most successful coach out of the three. Sanjay Bangar served two stints as an Interim Coach. It is to provide the balance to this XI as a bowler that he finds a spot in the XI. Kapil Dev, of course, is one of the first names on this list.
Bowlers: Anil Kumble and Bishan Singh Bedi
Anil Kumble became the coach of Team India amidst high expectations. While the Test Team did well under him, the stint did not last long due to various reasons. BS Bedi is one of the best spinners that India has seen. He was at the helm back in 1990 and 1991.
