Mohammad Kaif reveals why John Wright was respected and Greg Chappell failed as a coach

Mohammad Kaif revealed what qualities separated the two former Indian coaches John Wright and his successor Greg Chappell from each other. Wright was appointed as the Indian team's head coach from 2000-2005 whereas, Chappell succeeded him in 2005. His reign lasted till the 2007 ODI World Cup after which he was sacked from his post. Meanwhile, Kaif, on the other hand, represented India at the highest level from 2000-2006. However, a slump in form meant that he failed to cement his place in the national side. 

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'People respected John Wright': Mohammad Kaif

During a recent interview with a daily publication, Kaif went on to say that Ian Chappell could have been a good batting coach, but he spoilt his name as he could not run the team properly. Kaif also mentioned that the Australian failed to understand the Indian culture and lacked good man-management skills as a result of which he could not prove to be a good coach. Heaping praise on John Wright, the former middle-order batsman added that the ex-New Zealand cricketer was respected by the people because he coordinated well with the players and let Sourav Ganguly the captain to lead the team from the front.

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Team India under John Wright & Greg Chappell

John Wright was appointed as the Indian team's head coach in 2000 after the match-fixing scandal which involved some high-profile Indian cricketers shocked the cricketing world. India made it to the finals of the ICC Knockout Trophy that year which was played in Kenya. Team India also attained greater heights under John's tenure that include, winning the Test and ODI series against Australia at home in 2001, the Natwest tri-series triumph in England in 2002, co-winners of the ICC Champions Trophy 2002, runners-up of World Cup 2003, drawing the Test series against Australia in 2003-04 and the historic win on Pakistan soil in the same season.

His term ended in April 2005 after India's home series loss against Pakistan. Meanwhile, under Chappell's stint, India went on to win the ODI series in Pakistan in 2006 and the Test series on the Caribbean soil after a long wait of 35 years. However, he was accused of creating a rift among the players especially axing Ganguly from the team.  The 2007 World Cup turned out to be the final nail in the coffin as the Men In Blue who were considered as one of the strong contenders suffered a humiliating first-round exit post which his coaching stint came to an end.