Over the last week, Indian cricket has been going through a rough patch. After the disappointment of losing the Champions Trophy to their arch rivals Pakistan, Anil Kumble stepped down as the National Coach of the Indian cricket team after a prolonged feud with the Captain Virat Kohli.
With the Kohli-Kumble saga stealing the limelight over the past few weeks, the focus has shifted towards the importance of the relationship that needs to be maintained between the coach and the captain. There have been many incidents in the past where the captain and the coach didn’t get along well. But, to the other side of the coin, there have also been some successful coach-captain partnerships which benefited their respective teams.
Let’s look at some such relationships to have happened in the recent times:
#5 Mickey Arthur and Graeme Smith
Mickey Arthur and Graeme Smith, both being from South Africa, played a crucial role in taking South African Cricket to new heights. Having taken charge as the coach of the South African Cricket team in 2005, Mickey Arthur had to right away face the brunt of being a coach.
During his first two test series against a dominant Australian side, South Africa were thrashed on both the occasions. In the ODI series, however, South Africa pulled off a miracle by Chasing Australia’s mammoth 434 in what was a historic match at Johannesburg and thereby clinching the series 3-2.
Also read: 5 infamous coach-captain relationships that fell apart
Under the Arthur-Smith combination, South Africa grew from strength to strength in the following years, registering some of their most famous and historic wins. South Africa eventually conquered the top spots in both ODI and Test rankings.
Many of the superstars of the current national side- AB de Villiers, Hashim Amla, Dale Steyn and JP Duminy, made their debuts during this very coach-captain partnership and were ably groomed by the duo.
Currently, Mickey Arthur is the head coach of the Pakistan Cricket team and is doing a great job. His recent success includes winning the Champions Trophy with the green brigade.
#4 Andy Flower and Andrew Strauss
Both Andrew Strauss and Andy Flower were assigned their new roles, of captain and coach respectively, in 2009. Both had taken charge after an ugly spat between the former coach Peter Moores and the former Captain Kevin Pietersen. Having to steer the team in such a precarious situation was a tough job. But the duo forged a formidable relationship and ensured that English cricket saw some bright years.
Flower and Strauss helped England in regaining the Ashes in 2009 with the later amassing 474 runs in the series. England followed that up with test series victories over Bangladesh and Pakistan.
In 2010, despite Strauss’ absence, Andy Flower guided an inexperienced team into winning the ICC T20 World Cup played in the Carribean. The Strauss-Flower duo reunited for the 2011 Ashes which England won by beating Australia 3-1 and thereby making Strauss the first English Captain to win the Ashes both home and away.
In the 2011 ICC World Cup played in the sub-continent, England put up a decent performance by reaching the semi-finals of the tournament. For a brief period, England even won the test championship mace in 2011 under the partnership of the iconic duo.
#3 John Wright and Sourav Ganguly
The Coach-Captain duo that is believed to have transformed Indian Cricket, is that of and John Wright and Sourav Ganguly. Having taken over the captaincy in 2000, Sourav Ganguly led the team with his trademark aggression and flair. John Wright, who was a docile figure, was a perfect match for Ganguly and they complemented each other very well.
Under them, the Indian team registered some of its finest wins. The 2000-01 test series win against Australia, famous for the heroics of VVS Laxman and Harbhajan Singh, instilled a new belief and helped in forming a fearless Indian unit.
Both Ganguly and Wright showed special interest in grooming young blood which reaped benefits when Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif scripted one of India’s most memorable wins against England at Lord’s in the Natwest Trophy final.
The match will be remembered for Ganguly’s famous act of taking off his shirt after the run chase. In the ICC World Cup 2003, the Indian team put up a spirited performance by reaching the final of the tournament.
Many superstars of Indian cricket, MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra and a few more, were groomed by Ganguly and Wright during their tenure.
#2 John Buchanan and Ricky Ponting
Being appointed in 1999, John Buchanan had the task of coaching an extremely strong Australian team. Along with Ricky Ponting as captain, Buchanan led the team well and earned the tag of the most intimidating and dominant side. The two were competent individuals and their bond helped the team’s cause in a great way.
The duo led the team to many victories, including a world-record 16 consecutive Test match victories and 23 ODI wins in World Cup tournaments. Their impeccable record consists of Ashes victories in 2002 and 2006, Test Series victory against India in 2004, a Champions Trophy title in 2006 and two consecutive World Cup titles in 2003 and 2007. During this period, Australia enjoyed unprecedented success as the best ODI and Test team.
Buchanan, who was famous for unconventional methods of training, was however, criticised by some cricketers including Shane Warne, who played under him. The most common criticism is that he had to coach a very strong team and his presence just coincided with their victories. However, Ricky Ponting credits him as one of the main reasons behind Australia’s phenomenal World Cup record.
#1 Gary Kirsten and MS Dhoni
Perhaps one of the most, if not the most, famous Coach-Captain relationship in Indian Cricket is that of Gary Kirsten and MS Dhoni. Being similar to John Wright in nature, Gary formed an amicable bond with Dhoni.
Coaching and captaining the Indian Cricket Team is no joke as the expectations from the fans are always sky-high. After an initially challenging period where they had to face unfavourable results, the duo turned the tide with consecutive series wins against Australia, Sri Lanka and New Zealand.
They even led India to its first ICC Test Championship mace when they achieved the world number one rank in tests in 2009. Gary is widely hailed by many Indian players for improving their batting performances and motivating them to give their best on the field. In fact, Dhoni even described Kirsten as the best thing to happen to Indian Cricket.
After the 2007 World Cup debacle, there was a lot of pressure on team India going into the 2011 World Cup which was being played at home. The expectations were high and the team had to deliver. Eventually, the 2011 World Cup turned out to be the highlight of both Kirsten and Dhoni’s professional career where they led the Indian team to a famous World Cup win after 28 years.
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