Gautam Gambhir has been announced as the new head coach of the Indian men's cricket team. Here is a list of his predecessors in the role.
On Tuesday evening, BCCI secretary Jay Shah made the announcement via social media that Gambhir would take over from Rahul Dravid, whose tenure as coach ended with the 2024 T20 World Cup. The former India opener comes into the role on the back of a successful IPL 2024 with Kolkata Knight Riders, where he was the team's mentor as they lifted the trophy.
The history of India's cricket coaches is not a very long one. The position of a dedicated coach began to come into being only in 1990, when former left-arm spinner Bishan Singh Bedi was appointed to the role. Before that, India had been 'coached' by managers who travelled with the the team on tours, while also sorting out logistics and performing other administrative duties.
India men's coaches/managers
The first person to essay the role of coach/manager for the Indian team was Keki Tarapore, a one-time Test player and later secretary of the Cricket Club of India. He accompanied the team on their tour of England in 1967 and tour of the West Indies in 1970-71.
Perhaps the best known manager of the Indian team is PR Man Singh, who was in charge during the team's first World Cup triumph in 1983. The full list of coaches/managers is as follows.
- Keki Tarapore (1967-1971)
- Hemu Adhikari (1971-1974)
- Gulabrai Ramchand (1975)
- Datta Gaekwad (1978)
- Salim Durrani (1980-1981)
- Ashok Mankad (1982)
- PR Man Singh (1983-1987)
- Chandu Borde (1988)
India men's full-time head coaches
Bedi became (loosely) India's first coach, as opposed to manager, 11 years after his final international match. He was no stranger to leadership roles, having captained the team 26 times from 1976-1978. He hit the headlines during his coaching tenure after threatening to throw the team into the Pacific Ocean upon their losing an ODI on the tour of New Zealand.
Read more: Gambhir's coaching challenge: Balancing intensity and diplomacy
Abbas Ali Baig travelled with the team to Australia in 1991-92.
The first full-time, professional, head coach in Indian cricket history was another former captain in Ajit Wadekar, who was in the role from 1992-1996. There have also been interim appointments along the way. In addition, with coaching roles becoming more specialised through the years, India have employed batting, bowling and fielding coaches in addition to throwdown specialists and physiotherapists.
India's full-time coaches through the years have been the following.
- Ajit Wadekar (1992-1996)
- Sandeep Patil (1996)
- Madan Lal (1996-1997)
- Anshuman Gaekwad (1997-1999)
- Kapil Dev (1999-2000)
- John Wright (2000-2005)
- Greg Chappell (2005-2007)
- Ravi Shastri (interim) (2007)
- Lalchand Rajput (manager/coach) (2007-2008)
- Gary Kirsten (2008-2011)
- Duncan Fletcher (2011-2015)
- Ravi Shastri (team director) (2014-2016)
- Sanjay Bangar (interim) (2016)
- Anil Kumble (2016-2017)
- Sanjay Bangar (interim) (2017)
- Ravi Shastri (2017-2021)
- Rahul Dravid (2021-2024)
- VVS Laxman (specific series) (2023-2024)
- Gautam Gambhir (2024- TBD )
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