The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : A hard act to follow

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Apr 29, 2005

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A hard act to follow

During Wright's time Indian cricket restored its morale and repaired its standing

John Wright will be a hard act to follow. As a man and as coach he helped restore the standing of the game that greed had tarnished. Conveying an essential goodness, uncommon in the insecure and often vain world of sport, he inspired loyalty from his senior players and extracted strong performances from his team. However, in his time it was two steps forward and one back, an arrangement that can all too easily be reversed.

Wright's strength was his close relationship with the best of the older players. Men like Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble do not require cajoling or correcting. Concentration and determination arrived with their mother's milk and have remained intact ever since. All sportsmen, though, need a word of encouragement now and then, or an observation about a flaw. At the highest levels a coach serves mainly as a mirror. He does not tell batsmen or bowlers to follow a particular course. Instead, he studies his players' games till he knows them as well as the menu at his favourite restaurant, whereupon he provides insight and information. A critic once said that the most important six inches in cricket was located in the head. The positioning of the feet at delivery or at the crease can be just as crucial.

Confidant

Wright had the humility to serve as a confidant. Experienced players trusted his judgement and sought his company and advice. Not that he was a soft touch. Just that he did not need to beat a drum to convey frustration or disappointment. A sad expression can be as effective as a raised voice. Players wanted to please him because they liked and respected him. Also they sensed he was on their side and not his own — Wright is no careerist or money-grabber — and accordingly believed that his opinions were as dispassionate as they were sound.

Wright was also able to form an effective partnership with Sourav Ganguly, a challenge that has defeated most contemporaries. He managed to move past the more quixotic characteristics of his captain and embrace the curious mixture of frailty and courage to be found beneath the disdainful veneer. Doubtless the New Zealander was occasionally perplexed by Ganguly's more outlandish manoeuvres, and puzzled by the Bengali's faith in less deserving comrades, yet he had the wisdom to take his captain as a whole. Ganguly is not everyone's cup of chai and can be as frustrating as an intruding mosquito, but he has a record that speaks of exceptional qualities.

Wright survived the mayhem and madness that India offers every half-hour or so. If the intrigue was less to his taste, then he had the humour needed to shrug and restrict his agitation to a mere mutter.

Achievements

Considering the easily forgotten state of Indian cricket at the time of his appointment, Wright's achievements have been substantial. Of course, a bit has been left upon the table but no man takes everything with him into retirement. Wright inherited a struggling team and a corrupted cricket culture. In his time Indian cricket restored its morale and repaired its standing. Many mountains were climbed. Only Everest went unscaled.

And what of his successor? India cannot indulge itself in the folly of appointing a name in the hope that he might inspire by reputation. Such men are superb for a week and then the words run out. Most past players can analyse the game. No man can sustain greatness on instinct alone. Not every past player, though, can put thoughts into words and few are prepared to work hard day after day. Coaching demands a particular skill. Success as a player is not essential.

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