List of Indian Head Coaches in the 21st Century

India's Coaching Saga

The 21st century has been marked by frequent coaching changes for the Indian men's cricket team, coinciding with significant success in ICC tournaments. This eventful era saw highlights such as Gary Kirsten's historic 2011 World Cup triumph and Rahul Dravid guiding the team to an ICC title a decade later in 2024.

Kapil Dev

Kapil Dev served as the Indian national cricket team's head coach for a brief but challenging period between September 1999 and September 2000. Under his tenure, the team struggled for consistent results, managing only one Test victory out of the eight matches played, and nine ODI wins out of 25 played in total.

John Wright

India's first foreign head coach, John Wright guided the team from 2000 to 2005, achieving significant milestones, including reaching the 2003 ICC World Cup final and securing memorable victories abroad in England and Australia. His tenure is credited with setting the foundation for future success alongside captain Sourav Ganguly.

Greg Chappell

Greg Chappell served as head coach from 2005 to 2007, a tenure largely remembered for its controversies. While India did achieve a world record of 17 consecutive ODI victories, his period was marred by a highly publicized rift with captain Sourav Ganguly and ultimately ended following India's early exit from the 2007 ICC World Cup.

Lalchand Rajput

Lalchand Rajput served as the Indian team manager, a role effectively equivalent to head coach at the time, for a brief but historically significant period in 2007. His tenure culminated in India's unexpected and triumphant victory at the inaugural ICC T20 World Cup in South Africa, after which he was replaced by Gary Kirsten.

Gary Kirsten

South African Gary Kirsten coached the Indian team from 2008 to 2011. His tenure reached its zenith when India clinched the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup on home soil, alongside achieving the No. 1 ranking in Test cricket for the first time in 2009, as a result of which he is regarded as one of the most effective modern coaches.

Duncan Fletcher

Replacing the much-successful Gary Kirsten in the role, Duncan Fletcher coached the Indian team from 2011 to 2015, taking over immediately after the 2011 World Cup victory. While India won the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy under his guidance, his tenure saw a series of challenging overseas Test tours, and a dismal 2015 WC semi-final exit.

Anil Kumble

Ex-India spinner Anil Kumble served as head coach for a year, from 2016 to 2017, during which time India enjoyed substantial success, particularly in Test cricket. Under his guidance, India dominated at home, before his tenure ended abruptly, following the 2017 Champions Trophy final defeat, and a rift with captain Virat Kohli.

Sanjay Bangar

Sanjay Bangar served as India's batting coach for a significant period (2014-2019) and frequently stepped in as the interim head coach, most notably after Anil Kumble's departure in 2017. He oversaw periods of continuous home success and played a vital role in India's consistent performance across formats.

Ravi Shastri

Ravi Shastri enjoyed a highly successful and lengthy tenure, initially as team director (2014-2016) and then as head coach (2017-2021). Under him, India achieved unprecedented back-to-back Test series victories in Australia, cemented its status as the No. 1 Test team, and reached the final of the inaugural WTC in 2021.

Rahul Dravid

Rahul Dravid took over as the head coach of the Indian men's national team in November 2021, leading the side into a new era. Though the team faced challenges in major ICC tournaments, including a heart-breaking defeat in the 2023 ODI World Cup final, Dravid concluded by he guided the team through to the 2024 T20 World Cup title.

VVS Laxman

VVS Laxman has frequently stepped in as the interim head coach, particularly for white-ball series over the past few years. In this capacity, Laxman has successfully guided India to several series wins as well as to a gold medal win at the 2023 Asian Games, showcasing his abilities to manage players in limited-overs formats.

Gautam Gambhir

Currently under fire for a disastrous Test record, Gautam Gambhir took over the reins as the head coach of the Indian national cricket team in July 2024. His appointment followed a successful mentorship role with the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, as he guided the team to its third-ever Champions Trophy earlier this year.