Hundreds of millions of people around the world love cricket. Thanks to such an enormous fanbase, international cricket confidently ranks second in popularity in the world after football. In India, this sport is a true national treasure. The sport’s enthusiasts celebrate talented players’ names and outstanding coaches that bring their teams to victory.
In this guide, we have collected everything you need to know about India’s most renowned India’s national cricket team coaches of all time.
Table of Contents
Who Can Be the Coach of the India National Cricket Team?
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) posted the Indian team coach’s eligibility requirements consisting of five points – the number of matches played, the experience of work as a head coach, a BCCI level, and general age.
However, they lacked clarity. In 2019, BCCI published the updated national team coach requirements that are still applicable today in the cricketing world.
Head Coach of India’s Team
The India National team’s head coach must provide leadership to the coaching department and ensure the team’s successful performance. The head coach must assist the Indian cricket team in training and throughout championships.
The candidate aiming to become the head coach of the team India should fulfill the following criteria:
- Must have been a head coach of a full-member Test-playing nation for over two years
- Should have been a head coach of a top cricket team (IPL or equivalent international leagues, national A teams) for at least three years
- Played at least 50 ODI cricket matches or 30 Test matches
- Should possess a BCCI level 3 or equivalent certification
- Should not exceed the age limit of 60 years old
Batting Coach of India’s Team
The batting coach of the India national cricket team must operate as a specialist in batting skills development like for example batting coach Vikram Rathour. The person in this role must assist the team during training and ensure the skills improvement required for better sports performance. This coach is responsible for supporting the head coach in meeting the team’s batting objectives.
To become a batting coach of the national Indian cricket team, the deserving applicant should fulfill the following criteria:
- Must have been a batting coach of a full-member Test-playing nation for over two years
- Should have been a batting coach of a top cricket team (IPL or equivalent international leagues, U-19 national team, national A teams) for at least three years
- Played at least 25 ODIs or 10 Test matches
- Possesses a BCCI level 3 certificate or its equivalent
- Should not exceed the age limit of 60 years old
Bowling Coach of Indian Cricket Team
The current bowling coach of Indian cricket team is Paras Mhambrey.
He is assisting the head coach in training the team to deliver the required level of bowling skills. This coach works closely with the head coach to develop an effective strategy for the bowling unit.
The bowling coach of the national India cricket team should possess the following achievements:
- Must have been a bowling coach of a full-member Test-playing nation for over two years
- Should’ve been a bowling coach of a top cricket team (U-19 national team, IPL team or equivalent international leagues, national A teams) for at least three years
- Played at least 25 ODIs or 10 Test matches
- Should possess a BCCI level 3 certificate or its equivalent
- Should be below 60 years of age
Fielding Coach of India’s Team
The fielding coach of the national India team like coach R Sridhar is responsible for supporting the head coach in identifying the team’s key fielding goals and conducting the necessary training.
The eligibility criteria for the fielding coach of the Indian national team are as follows:
- Must have been a fielding coach of a full-member Test-playing nation for over two years
- Should’ve been a fielding coach of a top cricket team (IPL team or equivalent international leagues, associate member Test-playing nation, U-19 national team, national A teams) for at least three years
- Played at least 25 ODIs or 10 Test matches
- Should possess a BCCI level 3 certificate or its equivalent
- Should not exceed the age limit of 60 years old
Who Selects the New Head Coach of the Indian Cricket Team?
The Cricket Advisory Committee selects the head coach for the team India. Its members are former Indian cricketers Madan Lal, Rudra Pratap Singh, and Sulakshana Naik.
All three committee members are former renowned Indian players. For instance, Madan Lal was a victorious team member that held the World Cup in 1983. Sulakshana Naik is a famous Indian cricketer with 46 ODI’s, 31 T20, and 2 Tests totally played. Rudra Pratap Singh served as a national selector and an Indian bowler.
In June 2020, the selection process of the new head coach of the team India included the candidates’ presentations of the Indian cricket roadmap and interview sessions.
What Does the National Cricket Coach Do?
Coaches take care of planning, organizing, and providing all the necessary training activities to the individual players and the team as a whole. Besides these duties, a coach must also teach the sportsmen valuable tactics and skills to achieve better results.
When it comes to the national cricket team, most of the players already have a high level of game expertise. Therefore, the coach’s duty lies far beyond the mere training of players before the game.
Unlike in football, a cricket coach does not have to make instant decisions due to the game’s format. What is more valuable for this sport is for the coach to help players reach their maximum potential by boosting their morals during pressuring situations, giving timely advice, and pointing out game strategies.
Who Were India Cricket Head Coaches?
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Throughout its long history, cricket in India has raised international stars. Alongside the renowned cricketers, the Indian cricket hall of fame also features names of talented head coaches like head coach Ravi Shastri. However, not all of them were successful. Read ahead for an overview of the head coaches India’s team has had in the past two centuries.
20th Century
| Coach name | Years of service | Notable facts | Country |
| Bishan Singh Bedi | 1990-1991 | On their way back home after the team performed poorly tour, he threatened to dump the entire team in the sea. | India |
| Abbas Ali Baig | 1991-1992 | Took India’s team to Australia in 1991-92, World Cup 1992; became the first full-time coach for Men in Blue. | India |
| Ajit Wadekar | 1992-1996 | Under his coaching, India dominated at home; unbeaten for 14 Tests with 3-0 whitewash over England; won multi-nation Hero Cup. | India |
| Sandeep Patil | 1996-1996 | Became a coach before the Tour of England, which was a failure. | India |
| Madan Lal | 1996-1997 | With him, India won over Australia and South Africa but lost with humiliation to West Indies. | India |
| Anshuman Gaekwad | 1997-1999 | Unforgettable moments such as 2-1 series won against Australia; drawn ODI series against New Zealand. | India |
| Kapil Dev | 1999-2000 | Match-fixing allegations; lost the game at home against Australia and South Africa. | India |
21st Century
| Coach Name | Years of Service | Notable facts | Country |
| John Wright | 2000-2005 | India’s first foreign coach, the longest-serving coach in Indian cricket history. Won Test matches in Australia and England and the comeback against Australia in the 2001 and 2002 NatWest series. | New Zealand |
| Greg Chappell | 2005-2007 | The famous scuffle with Sourav Ganguly; India defeated in Test series by Pakistan and South Africa; unexpected exit from World Cup 2007. | Australia |
| Gary Kirsten | 2008-2011 | India has the Test victory in Sri Lanka; won against South Africa 3-0 at home; excellent results in T20’s which includes Asia Cup. | South Africa |
| Duncan Fletcher | 2011-2015 | India took home the Champions Trophy, but kept losing against England and Australia; lost home series against England; lost semi-finals at World Cup 2015. | Zimbabwe |
| Ravi Shastri | 2015-2016 | India won the Test series in Sri Lanka; won against South Africa 3-0 at home; excellent results in T20’s which includes Asia Cup. | India |
| Sanjay Bangar (interim) | 2016-2016
(2017) |
Head coach against Zimbabwe; reappointed as batting coach. Interim coach during India’s tour of the West Indies (June-July). | India |
| Anil Kumble | 2016-2017 | Won 12 Tests out of 13; one of the most successful coaches of the Indian cricket team. | India |
| Ravi Shastri | 2017-2021 | Won T20I Series in South Africa, New Zealand, England, and Australia. | India |
| Rahul Dravid | 2021-2021 | Current coach | India |
How Much Does an India Cricket Team Coach Get Paid?
Being a cricket coach is a challenging position that involves a high level of responsibility. Luckily, with cricket’s expansion worldwide, the coaches’ salaries have been growing accordingly.
Madan Lal (1996-1997) — Rs 0.6 crore/annum
Madan Lal was not only a cricket star of the World Cup in 1983 but also India’s head coach in 1996-97. He led India to great success winning in matches against South Africa and Australia.
During these years, he received Rs 5 lakh – 500,000 rupees per month. It summed up to 6 000 000 rupees per annum, making it up to 12,000,000 rupees for his coaching career until it ended after India lost to the West Indies.
Greg Chappell (2005- 2007) — Rs 1.24 crore/annum
Greg Chapell became well-known due to his cricketing career when representing Australia in Tests and ODI competitions. He retired as a player in 1984. Greg Chapell’s term as a head coach of the Men in Blue was not the brightest time of India’s cricket history.
He has received a lot of negative media commentary aimed at his continuous fights with Sourav Ganguly and his coaching methods. Nevertheless, Chapell was receiving a salary of Rs 1.24 crore equal to 12,400,000 rupees. In total, he has received 37,200,000 rupees for his coaching years.
Gary Kristen (2008-2011) — Rs 2.5 crore/annum
After retiring from his career as a cricketer, Gary Kristen proceeded to do coaching and even organized his own cricket academy. Many players, experts, and cricket enthusiasts agree that he is the best full-time team India coach thus far.
As the head coach of the Men in Blue, Kristen was receiving 2.5 crore or 2,5000,000 rupees per year, summing up to around 50,000,000 rupees for his coaching career.
Duncan Fletcher (2011-2015) — Rs 4.2 crore/annum
Duncan Fletcher started his cricketing career as an ODI player. He has not ever played Test cricket in his career. In the early 2000s, he served as England cricket team coach and guided it to many victories. In 2011, he was appointed as India’s head coach.
Throughout his coaching years, Fletcher’s income was estimated to reach Rs 4.2 crore — 42,000,000 rupees per annum, resulting in 210,000,000 rupees in four years.
Anil Kumble (2016-2017) — Rs 6.25 crore/annum
Anil Kumble served the India team as a cricketer, commentator, and head coach. His brilliant career as a cricketer was thought to have a successful continuation as a national team’s coach. However, Kumble had to give up his position in less than a year due to severe disagreements with the team’s captain, Virat Kohli.
Anil Kumble’s salary as a head coach was Rs 6.25 crore – 62,500,000 rupees. According to some sources, he has received a total of 125,000,000 rupees throughout his coaching career.
Ravi Shastri (2017-present) — Rs 10 crore/annum
Ravishankar Shastri is the most highly paid Indian cricket team coach in history. As a cricketer, he was a part of the Men in Blue from 1981 to 1992 and run the head coach position of the Indian National Cricket team in 2017-2021. Due to a knee injury, Shastri had to retire from playing cricket. However, he still manages to make an impact in the world of cricket.
Ravi Shastri’s salary counts up to Rs 10 crore – 100,000,000 rupees. Since 2017, Shastri has earned 400,000,000 rupees as a head coach.
The Greatest National Indian Coaches
India’s national cricket team did not have a full-time head coach position until Bishan Singh Bedi in 1990. Bedi was the first to take over this role and start a new page in India’s cricket history. Since then, Men in Blue has had a total of 13 coaches with a background as cricket players. We have made a compilation of India’s top-performing national head coaches.
John Wright
After the infamous match-fixing scandal in 2000, John Wright was the one to help rebuild the Indian cricket club. At that time, Mohammad Azharuddin and Ajay Jadeja were accused of match-fixing. The team got a new captain, Sourav Ganguly, and the first-ever foreign head coach, John Wright.
This collaboration has brought a lot of success to Men in Blue, including a winning streak of 16 Test matches, drawing a Test series in Australia and England, and reaching the 2003 World Cup final in South Africa.
Gary Kirsten
Gari Kirsten was the one to take over Greg Chappell’s full-time position after India’s first-round loss at the World Cup in 2007. Thanks to Kristen’s excellent work relationship with skipper MS Dhoni, India received the first test victory in the world in 2009. India also had success in the Test series against Australia (2008, 2010) and New Zealand (2009).
Under Kirsten’s guidance, India also managed to have a drawn series in South Africa (2010). Besides, in 2010 India won the Asian Cup, followed by a magnificent victory during the World Cup in 2011.
Ravi Shastri
Ravi Shastri was reappointed as the India national team’s coach in August 2019. His contract has ended after the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup. Since his first appointment as a head coach in 2017, Shastri has raised India’s winning percentage to, including many wins the Asia Cup victory (2018), the T20I tri-series victory in Sri Lanka (2018), and the ODI series victories in New Zealand and Australia (2019).
Check Ravi Shastri sleeping meme!
Duncan Fletcher
Duncan Fletcher took over Gary Kirsten’s head coach position in 2011 and coached the Indian team until the World Cup semi-final in 2015. Apart from winning the Champions Trophy in 2013, Fletcher’s leadership brought team India to victory in 14 Tests, 64 ODIs, and 15 T20Is.
Nevertheless, Men in Blue was experiencing some rough times during the same period. For example, the team has gone through a series of whitewashes against Australia and England (2011-2012) and losses against Australia (2014-2015).
Ajit Wadekar
Ajit Wadekar successful former India captain, which allowed him to overtake the head coach role in 1992. He was India’s first-ever full-time cricket coach and led the India team into 22 Tests and 71 ODIs.
Under Wadekar’s tutelage, Men in Blue reached the 1996 World Cup semi-finals, came out victorious in 11 Tests and 41 ODIs, and remained unbeaten in 1992-1994. However, under his leadership, India’s team experienced struggles in overseas matches.
Current Indian Cricket Coach for the National Team
The current Indian cricket team head coach is Rahul Dravid. He was the first international cricketer to reach more than 10,000 runs in Tests and ODIs. Dravid played 94 consecutive Test matches since 1996, without missing a single match.
He was previously appointed as a head coach for the India A and India U-19 cricket teams. During his guidance, the India-19 team was runner-up in the 2016 edition of the 2016 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup. Dravid’s partnership with an Indian National Cricket team promises to be successful as well as Rahul Dravid’s whole career was. Find a motivational quotation from Rahul Dravid in our special dedicated article with motivational cricket quotes.
Professional Players Who Turned India Cricket Coaches after Retirement
The job description of a head coach implies that the person aiming for the position has sufficient cricket experience. That is why all Indian team coaches have made their way to coaching from playing cricket.
Summary
The Indian team has been experiencing a lot of changes throughout the years. However, no matter the transition, exciting or challenging, the sports fans’ love only seems to grow. Cricket attracts bigger audiences every year and draws the attention of media and sports betting enthusiasts. If you are new to this fascinating world, check out our tips on how to bet on cricket.
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India Cricket Coaches FAQ
How many coaches are there in Indian cricket team?
When it comes to coaches, there is usually one head coach who is assisted by a few sub-coaches who oversee the three individual departments: batting, bowling, and fielding. There have been nine head coaches for Team India since Kapil Dev stepped down in 2000. Rahul Dravid takes up the most recent spot.
Who is the best coach in India?
Fans and pundits believe that South African Gary Kirsten is India’s best coach to date. In his last major campaign for India in 2011, Guru Gary helped India secure the World Champion status after 28 long years.
Who is the coach of Indian cricket team 2020?
During the 2020 season, Ravi Shastri was the Indian National Team’s head coach. When Shastri’s tenure ended following the conclusion of the ICC T20 World Cup, Rahul Dravid was appointed as the team’s new head coach. The Cricket Advisory Committee, which included Ms. Sulakshana Naik and Mr. RP Singh, made the decision.
Who is the coach of Indian cricket Test team?
Rahul Dravid coaches the Indian test team. Dravid was given the responsibility of managing the National Cricket Academy after leading India’s U-19 team to the World Cup title in 2018. He later became the national team’s head coach. Currently, he manages the Indian national team in all three game formats.