Former New Zealand player John Wright took charge of the Indian cricket team in November 2000; months after the match-fixing scandal hit the shores of Indian cricket. Sourav Ganguly was made the captain of the team that year and had a relatively inexperienced side to lead. Apart from Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and a few others, the rest were new faces in the international arena.
As the days progressed, the team formed a shape which started to produce results. The India-Australia Test match at the Eden Gardens in 2001 was a turning point in Indian cricket. The John Wright-Sourav Ganguly duo seemed to be the perfect blend for the steep rise in performance of the team.
It is not an easy task to build a stable playing XI, a lot of permutations and combinations are required to attain the perfect combination. In the course of Wright’s tenure, many players were tried out to showcase their talent, some impressed and played for a longer period, others’ stint were short-lived.
Let us have a look at the players who made their debut under John Wright and where are they now:
#1 Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra’s International career was short-lived but the batsman chipped in with effective opening stands with Virender Sehwag during India’s tour to Australia in 2003. The right-hander’s batting technique and ability to play at the top of the order promised much in the future, but it faded away when he was only 10 Tests old.
Having played the majority of his domestic cricket for Delhi, he joined Rajasthan as a guest player in Ranji plate division. He helped Rajasthan win the Ranji trophy, which was the first time a plate division team won the coveted tournament.
Chopra also played in the Indian Premier League for Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals. After his retirement from the game, he appears as a guest columnist for CricInfo and Hindustan Times and is currently involved in various cricket television shows.
#2 Mohammad Kaif (Made his ODI debut under John Wright)
The Allahabad-born batsman came into limelight when he led India to an Under-19 World Cup triumph in 2000. Mohammad Kaif is most remembered for the 87-run innings he played during the Natwest Trophy final at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground to inflict a famous victory over England chasing a mammoth task of 326.
Known for his electrifying energy in the field and lightning-like running between the wickets, Kaif was one of the budding prospects in Indian cricket during his time. After his exit from the international circuit, the right-hander represented the Rajasthan Royals in the inaugural Indian Premier League and following which he also played for the Kings XI Punjab and Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Mostly playing his domestic cricket for Uttar Pradesh, he also represented Andhra Pradesh in the later days and is now playing for Chattisgarh. Kaif recently completed 10,000 runs in his First-class career too.
#3 Gautam Gambhir
Gautam Gambhir is regarded as one of the best left-handers India has ever produced, having played numerous match-winning roles during his stint with the Indian team so far and hopefully more to follow. Gifted with clinical stroke-playing ability, the Delhi-born can attack the best of bowlers and pierce the field thanks to his immaculate ability.
He played a pivotal role in India’s two of the most epic matches ever. In the 2007 World T20 final, he scored 75 runs from 54 balls, which guided India to World T20 title. Four years later, during the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup final, he played a hard fought 97-run innings which helped India lift the cricket World Cup after 28 long years.
After being left out for more than two years, he was picked again for the national team on the basis of his performance in the domestic circuit, and he is currently playing a Ranji match for Delhi.
#4 Irfan Pathan
Irfan Pathan made his debut during India’s tour of Australia in 2003/04 and had an immediate impact on the national side. He caught the eye of everyone in the Sydney Test and a few months later, bowled match-winning spells during India’s historic tour to Pakistan in 2004. Once regarded as the successor to Kapil Dev as one of the best all-rounders from the nation.
As his batting skills were revealed, Pathan was promoted up the order in ODIs by Greg Chapell. The Indian was dropped from the ODI squad after his inconsistent performances in 2006, but was recalled for a match against the West Indies, and was also a part of the 2007 50-over World Cup, but did not play a match.
After performing decently in the 2007 ICC World T20, he was selected for the ODI series against Australia at home but fared poorly. Thereafter he has not been a regular in the team and is still trying to make a cut in the team, playing domestic cricket for Baroda.
#5 Parthiv Patel
The little man from Gujarat created history in 2002 by becoming Test cricket’s youngest wicketkeeper at a tender age of 17 years and 153 days. An attacking batsman, he was initially questioned for his inconsistent glove work behind the sticks but his form with the bat allowed him to play for quite some time.
Having played 20 Tests and 38 ODIs, he was unable to score an International century, but occasionally scored half-centuries. Patel got a lifeline during Dhoni’s reign but could not capitalise on the opportunities. Inspite of his topsy-turvy International career, the southpaw played in the Indian Premier League regularly representing five different franchises so far.
Presently, he is playing for Gujarat is the on-going Ranji trophy and was also featured in the IPL (2016 edition) earlier this year.
#6 Yuvraj Singh (Made his Test debut under John Wright)
Yuvraj Singh was a part of the 2000 Under-19 World Cup winning team and made his International debut following the tournament in the ICC Champions Trophy. He played a gem of an innings against Australia in that tournament scoring crucial 84 runs and guided India to a victory. Widely regarded as one of the greatest all-rounders the country has ever produced, Yuvraj has been the spearhead of many historic wins for India.
Known for his hard-hitting skills, he blasted six sixes in an over during the 2007 ICC World T20 against England. Four years later, he performed exceptionally well and was awarded the “Man of the Tournament” in the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup which India won. Soon after that, he was struck with cancer but the Indian recovered and made a comeback to the team in 2012, but was dropped due to inconsistency.
The following year, he was all set to make a comeback in the ODI squad but failed a fitness test, which sent him back to the domestic circuit. After that, he featured in the national team for small tenures, occasionally being effective. Playing for Punjab in the 2016/17 edition of the Ranji Trophy, the left-hander is awaiting a recall to don the blue jersey again.
#7 Hemang Badani (Made his Test debut under John Wright)
A calm and composed left-handed middle order batsman, Hemang Badani made his International debut in 2001 but he lasted in the side for only two years. Badani was a handy batsman for India in ODIs and scored a century against Australia back in 2000.
The Chennai-based cricketer was a part of India’s tour to Australia in 2003/04 but failed to make an impact to retain his spot in the playing XI. Playing in the Indian Cricket League for Chennai Superstars diminished his chances of making a comeback to the national squad, but he quit the league in 2009.
Following that he signed an IPL contract with the Chennai Super Kings. The left-hander played his last domestic match in 2013 for Vidarbha and has retired from all forms of the game.
#8 MS Dhoni
Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s first ODI was disappointing as he was back to the pavilion without scoring a single run against Bangladesh in 2004. He was given a second lifeline during Pakistan’s ODI series and proved his worth in Visakhapatnam scoring a blistering 148-run inning to mark his grand entry to the world of cricket, and following that, the rest is history. His lightning glovework along with his consistent batting performances made him a sensation.
The Ranchi-boy was made the captain of the Test team in 2008 and his record flourished, having already won the 2007 ICC World T20. Later on, he took India to the top of the rankings table in Tests and the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup triumph was an icing on the cake. ‘Mahi’ has literally every trophy in his cabinet and is widely regarded as the ‘Greatest Indian captain.’
Captain Cool surprisingly retired from Test cricket during India’s tour to Australia in 2014, which shifted the responsibility to his fellow mate Virat Kohli. Though, he is still the captain of the ODI team and is presently busy with the New Zealand series.
#9 Shiv Sunder Das
Shiv Sunder was once considered to be India’s find for a proper Test opener, he made his Test debut for India in 2000 against Bangladesh. Das scored his maiden century in his third Test against Bangladesh and was on his way to Zimbabwe for the away tour.
Das was part of the national squad till 2002 when India toured the West Indies. The Asian team lost the 5-match Test series 1-2 in the Carribean islands and Das failed to score a half-century which was followed by his exit from the International arena.
#10 Tinu Yohannan
The first Ranji player from Kerala to play Test and One-Day Internationals for India, Tinu Yohannan was a promising fast bowler who came into prominence from the MRF pace academy. The right-arm pacer made his Ranji debut in the 1999-2000 season against Goa and was part of quite a few domestic matches until he was called up for the Test series against England in 2001.
In his first Test, he picked up both the English opening batsmen and even took a wicket in his first over in his international career. But he could not carry on the good start made by him, having played three Tests and ODIs each, he was never in contention in the starting XI after India’s tour to New Zealand in 2002.
Surprisingly, the Kerala man played only 59 first-class matches throughout his career and was not seen in the domestic arena after Kerala’s Ranji match against Haryana in 2009.
#11 Dinesh Mongia
The left-handed batsman from Chandigarh had an impressive domestic record which started in the 1995-96 Ranji season for Punjab. During the 2000-01 season, Mongia’s prolific run-scoring helped him earn a place in the National team and played his first ODI in 2001.
Following that, he became a regular in the limited-overs squad and provided handy assistance with the bat and the ball. He scored a career best of 159 not out against Zimbabwe in 2002, which was a series decider. The southpaw was part India’s 2003 World Cup squad which lost to the mighty Australian’s in the final. After 2003, his inability to perform saw his exit from the national team.
Though he played a few ODIs after that, he was never a regular inclusion in the XI and played his last 50-over match in 2007. Soon after that match, the Punjab-born retired from his First-class career also. Mongia did play in the ICL for the Chandigarh Lions and his last official game was in 2008.
He is currently coaching a school team in Chandigarh and also acted in a movie called Kabab Mein Haddi where he played a parody of Amitabh Bachchan.
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