India National Cricket Team Coaches

Without a doubt, India is one of the top teams in the game of cricket. One of the prime reasons behind this is the availability of the world-class players in the team. India has always produced some of the greats of the game in both batting and bowling. The likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar, Anil Kumble, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Mohammad Azharuddin, and many more.

In May 1926, India became a full member and got test status. India was the 6th team to become a full member after England, Australia, South Africa, the West Indies, and New Zealand. Speaking of the history of Indian cricket, the real turning moment came in 1983, when India became world champions under the leadership of Kapil Dev. Then MS Dhoni led India to glory in 2007 and 2011, winning the T20 World Cup and ODI World Cup respectively.

There have been many times when we have seen former Indian players go on to become the coaches of the national team. A head coach’s normal tenure is two years, but coaches have been known to stay for longer periods of time. So let’s check out the list of head coaches for Indian team over the period of time.

4. PR Man Singh between 1983 to 1987

India made history when they beat the West Indies in the finals of the 1983 ODI World Cup. That was the most iconic moment in Indian cricket history. Not many predicted that India would even make the top four. But the rest is history. It was a complete team effort and all the players did their hard work. But one man who never got much appreciation was India’s coach, PR Man Singh. He was the manager of the Indian team in the 1983 World Cup. Man Singh was also the coach when India made it to the semi-finals of the 1987 World Cup.

3. Lalchand Rajput between 2007 to 2008

India made it to the finals of the 2003 ODI World Cup under the leadership of Sourav Ganguly, and John Wright was the head coach of India. But in the very next ODI World Cup in 2007, India were kicked out of the tournament in the group stage itself. Rahul Dravid was the skipper, and Greg Chappell was the head coach. Thus, India sent a totally young team to the 2007 T20 World Cup led by MS Dhoni. Lalchand Rajput was sent with the team as the head coach. But who would have thought that that team would re-write history? India won that T20 World Cup, and MS Dhoni and Lalchand Rajput registered their names as two of the most successful captains and head coaches in Indian cricket.

2. Gary Kirsten between 2008 to 2011

After Lalchand Rajput, the former South African captain, Gary Kirsten, took over the charge as the Indian head coach. The biggest challenge for him was to defend the T20 title in 2009, but India couldn’t do that. The next big event in the game was the 2011 ODI World Cup, happening in India. So it was a great chance for the Indian cricket team, led by MS Dhoni, to make it big at home. And that’s what happened. India lifted the 2011 World Cup and became the first team to win the title on home soil. Gary Kirsten cemented his reputation as India’s greatest coach with this achievement. 

1. Ravi Shastri between 2017 to 2021

Virat Kohli was one of the most aggressive captains that the game has ever witnessed. Under his leadership, Indian cricket team achieved many things that were not possible prior to him. And one of the reasons that he was able to express himself was the support of the head coach, Ravi Shastri, during his time. Shastri was always an animated character when it came to the game, both as a player and as a captain. He, along with Virat, totally changed the mindset of the Indian team. Shastri started his tenure after Anil Kumble stepped down as the head coach in 2017. Since then, India has seen many incredible performances. Although India didn’t win any major ICC tournament under the coaching of Shastri, India stayed as the No. 1 test team for a consecutive six years during that period. Shastri stepped down after the 2021 T20 World Cup.

List of India National Cricket Team Coaches

National Coaches of Various Cricket Teams