The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is on the lookout for a new head coach as Rahul Dravid’s tenure comes to an end. Dravid, who guided Team India to the T20 World Cup final, initially joined the team in November 2021 on a two-year contract, later extended for the ODI World Cup 2024. Now, with India searching for its 27th head coach, likely Gautam Gambhir, let’s take a look at the full list of Indian cricket team head coaches over the years.
India appointed its first head coach in 1971 with Keki Tarapore, who took on the responsibility of grooming the team. PR Man made history as the first manager to lead Team India to an ICC World Cup title, serving a dual role even though he wasn’t officially a coach.
By 1992, India shifted to granting long-term contracts to national team coaches, replacing interim managers like Chandu Borde and Bishan Singh Bedi. This brought in national team coaches such as Ajit Wadekar, Sandeep Patil, and Madan Lal with extended contracts.
Even cricket legend Kapil Dev served as a coach for a brief period before resigning amid allegations of bribery during a series in 1994.
List of Indian Cricket Team Coaches:
| No. | Name | Tenure | Nationality |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Keki Tarapore | 1971 | India |
| 2 | Hemu Adhikari | 1971-74 | India |
| 3 | Gulabrai Ramchand | 1975 | India |
| 4 | Datta Gaekwad | 1978 | India |
| 5 | Salim Durrani | 1980-81 | India |
| 6 | Ashok Mankad | 1982 | India |
| 7 | PR Man Singh (manager) | 1983-87 | India |
| 8 | Chandu Borde | 1988 | India |
| 9 | Bishan Singh Bedi | 1990-91 | India |
| 10 | Abbas Ali Baig | 1991-92 | India |
| 11 | Ajit Wadekar | 1992-96 | India |
| 12 | Sandeep Patil | 1996 | India |
| 13 | Madan Lal | 1996-97 | India |
| 14 | Anshuman Gaekwad | 1997-99 | India |
| 15 | Kapil Dev | 1999-2000 | India |
| 16 | John Wright | 2000-05 | New Zealand |
| 17 | Greg Chappell | 2005-07 | Australia |
| 18 | Ravi Shastri (Interim) | 2007 | India |
| 19 | Lalchand Rajput | 2007-08 | India |
| 20 | Gary Kirsten | 2008-11 | South Africa |
| 21 | Duncan Fletcher | 2011-15 | Zimbabwe |
| 22 | Sanjay Bangar (Interim) | 2016 | India |
| 23 | Anil Kumble | 2016-17 | India |
| 24 | Sanjay Bangar (Interim) | 2017 | India |
| 25 | Ravi Shastri | 2017-21 | India |
| 26 | Rahul Dravid | 2021- | India |
Most Successful Indian Coaches: South African Gary Kirsten is widely regarded as the most successful coach of the Indian team. Under his leadership, India won the ODI World Cup and became the number one team in Test cricket.
Rahul Dravid as India’s Coach: After leading India’s U-19 team to a World Cup title in 2018, Rahul Dravid took charge of the senior team. Under his mentorship, India reached the ODI World Cup 2024 final and became the number one team in both ODIs and Tests.
