In the welter of emotion accompanying Rahul Dravid’s farewell from all cricket, the excitement around Sachin Tendulkar ticking off yet another box in a long list of achievements and the excitement of the CLT20 finale at the Kotla here on Sunday night, one man slipped quietly through the cracks.
In the welter of emotion accompanying Rahul Dravid’s farewell from all cricket, the excitement around Sachin Tendulkar ticking off yet another box in a long list of achievements and the excitement of the CLT20 finale at the Kotla here on Sunday night, one man slipped quietly through the cracks. That is the way John Wright prefers it. With Rohit Sharma, Dwayne Smith and Glenn Maxwell turning on the batting pyrotechnics, and Harbhajan Singh then reclaiming the title of “Turbanator’ with his match-winning three-wicket over, the former India coach would have simply sat back and smiled to himself as the celebrations of Mumbai Indians’ 33-run win over Rajasthan Royals erupted all around. That has always been the Wright way. With Sourav Ganguly as captain, he scripted India’s turnaround in Test and ODI cricket that included the country’s first-ever successful tour of Pakistan, solid performances in Australia, (including the historic 2001 series triumph) and qualifying for the 2003 World Cup final in South Africa, among several others. Yet, at each stage, he preferred to stay in the shadows in favour of the gregarious Ganguly. And with disappointment against Pakistan ad Australia following the earlier highs, Wright slipped away in 2005. A less than happy stint with cricket administration back home in New Zealand followed his departure from India, and it was earlier this year that the Nita Ambani-fronted Mumbai Indians lured him back as team coach. The move met with instant success as MI overcame five years of frustration with the IPL-6 title. Sunday’s victory, worth a cool $2.5 million for the champions, was only the icing on the cake. Sharma paid the doughty Kiwi rich compliments after the game. “ Wright has worked with the Indian team for so long, he knows the Indian mentality and how we work. It’s easy to work with him as well as with Anil Kumble, Robin Singh and Jonty Rhodes,” the winning captain said. Added old comrade Kumble, who joined the Indians this year as team mentor. “Kudos to Wright and the rest of the support staff who have been exceptional.”
