New Zealander John Wright’s stint with the Indian team became one of the colourful, important chapters in the world of cricket at the turn ...
New Zealander John Wright’s stint with the Indian team became one of the colourful, important chapters in the world of cricket at the turn of the century. Under his watch, India turned into a successful outfit away from home while consolidating their home record. There were Test wins in England and Australia while defeating Pakistan in their backyard when the two sides met in 2004.
A big reason for India’s success during that era was Wright’s equation with his captain, Sourav Ganguly. India were in a state of transition and were at crossroads following the 2000 match-fixing scandal. They had a new captain, and for the first time in history, a foreign head coach.
However, Wright had the vote of confidence from the senior players in the side. He had worked with Rahul Dravid at English county Kent and had also known Ganguly, who was playing for Lancashire.
The first big assignment for the Ganguly-Wright duo was against Steve Waugh’s Australia at home in the summer of 2001. The Australians, by this time, were an all-conquering outfit and romped to a comfortable win in the first Test in Mumbai, their sixteenth on the bounce. Before the start of the series, Ganguly had publicly backed young off-spinner...
