Indian head coaches and their salaries since 2007

Two of the toughest positions to take up in the cricketing world incidentally are relating to Indian cricket – One is the Indian captain and the other being the head coach. Henceforth, there is often a lot of competition and money surrounding the coveted position of the Indian head coach.

In the 20th century, not a lot of foreign coaches were considered for this position, but in the 21st century, the trend changed. We tried and tested some legendary names in cricket like John Wright, Greg Chappell, Duncan Fletcher and Gary Kirsten. While some of them did wonders, the others couldn’t live up to their expectations and paychecks.

Since 2007, some huge names have been at the helm of Indian cricket team to fill up the head coach position. Here’s what all those big names earned during their respective terms.

1. Greg Chappell

Greg Chappell is often hailed as one of the finest batsmen to have ever played the game. First Australian cricketer to have scored 7,000 runs in Test cricket, a number Sir Donald Bradman missed by four runs, Chappell’s appointment as Indian head coach in 2005 was expected to bring a lot of success, but it didn’t happen that way.

Chappell’s tenure is rated as a dark chapter in Indian history as mentioned by many cricketers who played under him. He never got along with some of the senior players and India suffered a humiliating exit in the 2007 World Cup as well. That was his last involvement with the Indian cricket team.

Despite all the other controversies he was going through, Chappell received a massive paycheck of INR 1.24 Crore. He was the highest-paid Indian coach at that point, a record which kept breaking whenever there was a new appointment after him.

2. Gary Kirsten (2007-2011)

South African legend Gary Kirsten had a fabulous personal team which included some masterminds like Paddy Upton. It was under his tenure where Indian cricket really witnessed some outstanding moments, most famous one being the 2011 World Cup triumph.

Kirsten was instrumental in the early nurturing of current day superstars like Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin and some foundation stones were laid to improve the fielding standards in these years. The result of his ideas and hardwork can be seen in the current Indian side, which is perhaps the fittest in the world right now.

Kirsten too was on a very hefty payroll, receiving INR 2.5 Crore per annum. The South African played an instrumental role in the development of Indian cricket and will go down as one of the most loved Gurus this team has had.

3. Duncan Fletcher (2011-2015)

Duncan Fletcher was unfortunate to take up coaching duties at a point when Indian cricket was going through a transition phase. The likes of Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and Sachin Tendulkar retired during his tenure and it wasn’t easy for the side to cope with their loss. India ended up earning some humiliating results under him.

Yet, one of his finest achievements was the 2013 Champions Trophy triumph, where a young brigade under MS Dhoni’s leadership went on to script a fantastic chapter in Indian cricket. Some fine young talents like Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ravindra Jadeja, Rohit Sharma became regulars in the team during his tenure.

Fletcher received INR 4.2 Crore per year in his four-year term. He stepped down after the 2015 World Cup where his contract ended. Interestingly, it was reported in Indian media that Fletcher was Gary Kirsten’s suggestion to take over the duties.

4. Anil Kumble (2016-2017)

One of Indian cricket’s tallest figures, Anil Kumble was a match-winner like no other. The third highest wicket-taker in Test cricket history, Kumble was the heartbeat of the Indian bowling attack under the Sourav Ganguly-led team. He himself went on to captain the side for a good period of time.

Kumble worked with Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians as a coach before he was chosen as head coach of the Indian team in 2016. His tenure, unfortunately, lasted just over a year after there was an apparent conflict of interest between him and the Indian captain.

Kumble was chosen as the head coach ahead of Ravi Shastri and Tom Moody. He was paid INR 6.25 Crore per annum and under his captaincy, India regained the number one rank in Tests for the first time in nearly seven years. He quit his position after India lost the Champions Trophy final in 2017 to Pakistan.

5. Ravi Shastri (2017-Present)

Before Ravi Shastri became the head coach, he was the Team Director under Duncan Fletcher from 2014 to April 2016. After Kumble stepped down from his position in 2015, it was almost inevitable for him to be the next head coach and there was barely any surprise when it finally happened.

During his first contract as the Indian head coach, which lasted from August 2017 to July 2019, he was receiving an estimated package of INR 8 Crore per annum. During this period, India registered a historic Test series win in Australia and also an ODI series win in South Africa.

Although India lost the semifinal to New Zealand in the 2019 World Cup, Shastri’s contract was renewed after he pipped Tom Moody and Mike Hesson for the head coach position. He received a 20% hike in his salary under the new contract, which earns him around INR 9.5 Crore to INR 10 Crore per annum.