Australian Geoff Marsh was a frontrunner for the job before the BCCI appointed New Zealander John Wright as India’s first foreign coach of Sourav Ganguly’s team.

Marsh was roped in later as a consultant but when he arrived to be interviewed for the coach’s job, he strangely spurned it. That’s what Raj Singh told us journalists at Indore during the National Cricket Academy v Zimbabwe game in November 2000, by which time Wright was appointed. 

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“We had two days of discussion with Geoff Marsh in Mumbai. His knowledge was profound and he spoke at length on how the Australian way is different to India’s. But once the Board secretary [Lele] showed him India’s international commitments for the next 11 months, Marsh said he could not do it,” Raj Singh revealed.

Interestingly, when word got around that Marsh was one of the coaches the BCCI were keen on, a certain section of the media thought it was Rod as against Geoff. The Australian Cricket Board’s then media manager Brian Murgatroyd had to clarify that, to his knowledge Rod was not offered the job; the West Australian great being involved with the Commonwealth Cricket Academy in Adelaide.

When key members of the BCCI learnt that Wright was keen and available, Raj Singh called Colin Cowdrey at Kent to find out more about out the keen Kiwi, who was coaching the county then which had Rahul Dravid in their ranks. Indeed, Cowdrey’s feedback was glowing. He held Wright in high esteem. Before he left for India, Wright went to see Cowdrey in hospital. The former England captain told him he was a phone call away if help was needed and reminded him that a nip of whisky, “would take care of any bugs” (as mentioned in John Wright’s Indian Summers). Cowdrey passed away not long after. Former Australia captain and coach Bob Simpson, who served as consultant to the Indian team and accompanied them to the 1999 World Cup, too spoke highly of Wright.

Raj Singh told me later that Wright wasn’t chasing money and gave the BCCI the impression that he would do it for free. “The [selection] panel was fair, inquisitive and knowledgeable. I sensed that they recognised that I really wanted the job,” Wright wrote.

Greg Chappell was interviewed before Wright. He would get his chance five years later. Wright’s appointment was welcomed in many quarters amidst questions about the need for a foreign coach. Ravi Shastri supported the move and backed Wright to make a good fist. “Having seen him as player and as captain of New Zealand, I know his work ethic will be strong and demanding. His genteel demeanour will help in putting across his points of view. Yet, he is also a tough nut who will not take any nonsense and will crack the whip whenever necessary. He also comes from a country where there have been very few prima donnas in cricket, so he will not be in the business of pampering at all,” wrote Shastri in an editorial for Cricket Talk magazine.

In the same November 18, 2000 issue, Wright told journalist Dinesh Chopra that the BCCI’s interest in him was a “pleasant shock.” The then 46-year-old prepared for the job interview by reading Mihir Bose’s History of Indian Cricket. “The foreword is written by Sunil Gavaskar, one of my idols. Based on that, I analysed my coaching philosophy and anticipated the questions that could be asked,” he added.

The press was happy too. I covered his ‘debut’ for India—the Test against Zimbabwe at New Delhi. On the third day of the match, we received a statement from him which read, 

“Friends in the media. Thank you for your cooperation so far. I would like to state the following: I will be available to answer all your questions the day before each match, immediately after practice and at the completion of the game. I will also try and make available the outstanding player of the match, provided the captain and the BCCI have no objection.”

Lele revealed that Wright was warmly accepted by the Board members, who were shocked when the genial Kiwi addressed him by his first name. Wright didn’t forget Lele’s work as liaison manager of the New Zealand team during the 1987 World Cup in India. At the time of writing, Wright’s fellow New Zealander Stephen Fleming has emerged a strong candidate to become India’s next head coach. If that happens, Fleming would be India’s fifth foreign coach. The noise about overseas coaches here has reduced to a great extent. That said, never should one underestimate the kind of pressure Wright carried as India’s first foreign coach. Ditto the efforts our then administrators made to get the best for the Indian cricket team.

mid-day’s group sports editor Clayton Murzello is a purist with an open stance.
He tweets @ClaytonMurzello. Send your feedback to mailbag@mid-day.com
The views expressed in this column are the individual’s and don’t represent those of the paper.