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Follow UsImagine Michael Bevan, Lance Klusener, Dav Whatmore, Greg Chappell, Intikhab Alam and Dermot Reeve coaching teams like Odisha, Tripura, Kerala, Rajasthan, Punjab and Maharashtra during a regular Indian domestic season. What a season that would turn out to be, right? Especially for these comparatively smaller teams against giants like Mumbai, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Bengal and Delhi.
Well, all of the above-mentioned coaches have indeed coached in Indian domestic cricket, albeit not in the same season and with different proportions of success to their kitty.
Here’s how the overseas coaches fared in Indian domestic cricket
Intikhab Alam- Punjab
Coach and manager of the Pakistan team led by Imran Khan that won their first and only ODI World Cup in 1992, and once again manager and coach of the Younis Khan-led side in 2009 that won Pakistan’s first and only T20 World Cup. This could be the introduction for one of the greatest sports coaches, but, as such, an India-born Pakistani leg spinner Intikhab Alam has not got the credit he deserves.
The surprise here is that, in between those two aforementioned assignments, Intikhab was also the coach of the Punjab cricket team in India.
Born in undivided India’s Hoshiarpur in the then-undivided Punjab, Alam had a near-death experience during partition when he managed to escape from Himachal Pradesh to Pakistan. Alam, a leg-spinner who could bat, went on to play 47 Tests and four ODIs for the Men in Green between 1959 and 1977.
The man with 1510 runs and 129 wickets in international cricket also went on to become the first overseas coach of an Indian domestic team when he took over the reins of the Punjab side in the 2004-05 Ranji Trophy.
He would taste instant success with the team, going on to take them to the final by beating Mumbai in the semi-final. The side lost to Railways on the count of first-innings lead in the final. Incidentally, that is the last Ranji Trophy final that Punjab have been a part of.
Asked about his instant success, the then 62-year-old credited his bonding with the players since they spoke the same language. “For me, it was not difficult. I was born in India, in Hoshiarpur; I am a Punjabi. The language is the same, and the food and culture is the same. There was no problem in communicating with the players. I speak with them in Punjabi. Things worked out well,” Alam had told Rediff.com in 2005 after the win against Mumbai.
Alam, who played for Surrey in domestic cricket in England, also coached the north Indian side in the next season where Punjab finished 10th in the 27-team points table.
Michael Bevan- Odisha
Before MS Dhoni, there was one more finisher who did not let the opposition win close matches. Michael Bevan was one of the best batters in the lower middle-order during his playing days, smashing 6912 runs in 196 ODI innings at an average of 53. He hit six centuries and 46 fifties while batting at numbers six and seven mostly in the late 90s and early 2000s.
Bevan, after having played in India in the now-disbanded Indian Cricket League (ICL), took his first coaching assignment as Odisha's head coach. He teamed up with the side on their pre-season Australian tour and coached them in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in 2011.
However, the chemistry did not click between him and the players and his side could win just one game in the tournament. He wanted to get recharged by taking a five-day break to see his family back home, but Odisha Cricket Association was not ready for it, therefore removing him even before the start of the Ranji Trophy.
"He [Bevan] had some family problems and wanted to fly home for 15 days. We cannot have somebody as a stop-gap coach so we had to part ways," OCA secretary Asirbad Behera told PTI back then.
Dav Whatmore- Kerala and Baroda
After Bevan, the next big name to don a coach’s hat in India's domestic cricket was Dav Whatmore. The big Australian, who had coached Sri Lanka to the ODI World Cup title in 1996, and helped Bangladesh become a competitive side during his tenure from 2002 to 2007, was appointed the head coach of the Kerala cricket team in 2017.
He did not disappoint one bit as he took the team from South India to their first-ever knockout stage in the Ranji Trophy history as Kerala made it to the quarterfinal of the 2017-18 season. He followed it up with a semi-final entry for the team in 2018-19, but the team from god’s own country lost to Vidarbha in the semis. The 2019/20 season, however, proved to be a disaster, with Kerala getting relegated to Elite Group 'C' after winning just one game in the entire season. Whatmore quit the job in the wake of his horror season.
The Aussie with seven Tests and a solitary ODI to his international cricket kitty, though, returned to India and joined Baroda for the 2021-22 season. But Whatmore’s return did not translate into good returns for Baroda as the team failed to make it to the knockout rounds in all three major competitions: the Ranji Trophy, the Vijay Hazare Trophy and the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
Lance Klusener- Tripura
“I came here for all the teams. Whether cricket players, umpires or coaches, I want to inspire and help those who seek it. I hope that my involvement will help boost the prospect of cricket here." These were the words of Lance Klusener, one of the best all-rounders of his time. He said this to Indian Express after joining Tripura Cricket Association in a consultant's role for 100 days in 2023.
Klusener, who amassed 5482 runs and took international 272 wickets in 49 Tests and 171 ODIs combined, did not actually coach any Tripura side actually but was instrumental in boosting the players' confidence.
Before taking the Tripura role, the former Proteas all-rounder had been involved with various sides such as Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, Durban Super Kings (SA 20) and Dolphins (South Africa domestic cricket). After the role ended, he joined the Lucknow Super Giants as an assistant coach.
Darren Holder, Shaun Williams and Dermot Reeve - Maharashtra
After Intikhab Alam, Australian Darren Holder became the second overseas coach of an Indian domestic cricket side when he was appointed as head coach and director of cricket by the Maharashtra Cricket Association in 2004. Though his stint was just eight months, it opened avenues for other overseas coaches. Holder was not a cricketer but had worked under Australia’s coach John Buchanan during the team’s successful 2003 ODI World Cup campaign.
Shaun Williams, another Australian who hadn’t played for Australia at the highest level, was roped in 2008-09 by Maharashtra Cricket to be the head coach. For four seasons he managed the side, leading them to their first and only Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title win in 2009, where they beat Hyderabad in the final by defending 119.
Williams, who saw Maharashtra reach the quarter-finals of the Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy under his tutelage, led them to their second title - Buchi Babu Trophy in 2011, before becoming General Manager of Maharashtra Cricket Association in 2012.
Replacing him in 2012 was another overseas coach - Dermot Reeve, an Englishman. However, Reeve, who played three Tests and 29 ODIs for England, failed to deliver. Illness combined with poor results meant that Reeve was sidelined and Surendra Bahve replaced him after the end of the first six rounds of Ranji Trophy 2012-13.
“Dermot is unwell for a while. Since it has been clear that he will not be able to be with the squad all the time, we had to decide since it puts a lot of pressure on the captain," MCA president Ajay Shirke had told ESPNcricinfo back then. "As a result, we have appointed Surendra Bhave as the coach. He will take us through the rest of the season."
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