Railway
Who was the first foreign coach of the Indian men's cricket team?
Answer (Detailed Solution Below)View answer ▾Hide ▴
Answer: Option B — John Wright
Detailed Solution
John Wright, a former opening batsman and captain of New Zealand, became the first foreign coach of the Indian men's cricket team. He was appointed in November 2000 and served until 2005.
About John Wright's tenure:
He worked closely with captain Sourav Ganguly, and together they built a strong, confident team that began winning matches abroad.
India won the famous 2001 home Test series against Australia (including the Kolkata Test, where India won after following on, thanks to V. V. S. Laxman's 281 and Rahul Dravid's 180, and Harbhajan Singh's hat-trick).
India won the NatWest Trophy final at Lord's in 2002, chasing a target of 326, with Mohammad Kaif and Yuvraj Singh starring.
India reached the final of the 2003 Cricket World Cup in South Africa, where it lost to Australia.
India drew the 2003-04 Test series in Australia and won its first Test series in Pakistan in 2004.
He helped bring in young players such as Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh.
Later coaches of India:
- Greg Chappell (Australia), 2005-2007.
- Gary Kirsten (South Africa), 2008-2011; India won the 2011 World Cup under him.
- Duncan Fletcher (Zimbabwe), 2011-2015; India won the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy.
- Anil Kumble (India), 2016-2017.
- Ravi Shastri (India), 2017-2021.
- Rahul Dravid (India), 2021-2024; India won the 2024 T20 World Cup.
- Gautam Gambhir (India), from 2024; India won the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy under him.
- Before John Wright, India's coaches were Indians such as Kapil Dev, Madan Lal, Anshuman Gaekwad and Sandeep Patil.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Greg Chappell succeeded John Wright in 2005.
- ✗Gary Kirsten coached India to the 2011 World Cup title.
- ✗Duncan Fletcher coached India from 2011 to 2015.
Quick tip
Remember: First foreign coach of India = John Wright (New Zealand, 2000-2005, with captain Sourav Ganguly); 2011 WC coach = Gary Kirsten; 2024 T20 WC coach = Rahul Dravid.
💬 Discussions on this question
Ask a doubt ›Still stuck on this question? Ask our faculty and fellow students — answers appear here.
Ask a doubtMore Sports Questions
View all ›More General Knowledge Questions
- Q1.The techniques of Rasa and Bhava used in Indian classical dance trace their origin to which ancient text?Indian Dance Forms
- Q2.Lavani, Powada, Koli, Waghya Murali and Dhangari Gaja are folk dances of which state?Indian Dance Forms
- Q3.The one-act play associated with the Sattriya tradition of Assam is called:Indian Dance Forms
- Q4.Which dance form of Goa is known as the 'Warrior Dance'?Indian Dance Forms
- Q5.Manipuri dance is based on the Rasleela themes of:Indian Dance Forms
Sports — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Sports, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers sports GK: major tournaments and their venues, trophies and cups associated with each sport, sports terms, the number of players in a team, sports awards in India, Olympic and Asian Games facts, and famous sportspersons and their achievements. Common questions ask which sport a trophy belongs to (such as the Durand Cup for football or the Ranji Trophy for cricket), which term is used in which sport, and where a tournament was held. Records and results change after every season, so pair static facts such as team sizes and terms with recent results from current affairs. Practise the sports questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.