India vs New Zealand: Nostalgia surges as ex coach John Wright meets Laxman, Kaif, Zaheer, Bahutule

Former India coach John Wright visited some of his old wards who are there in New Zealand in various capacities.

Former India batter Mohammad Kaif shared the the pictures of their meeting with Wright through his official twitter handle.

“Look who we met in New Zealand. Warm, wise and humble Mr John Wright. We recalled old days, shared life updates and pulled his leg. Coach time to sell your 20-year-old car now,” Kaif wrote in his handle while sharing the pictures of them meeting Wright.

Wright met his former wards who have moved away from playing days a while ago. Kaif, who made his debut in 2000 under Wright, is now a media pundit while former left-arm pacer Zaheer Khan, who also made his debut under Wright’s coaching tenure, is also an expert for media channels.

However, two former India cricketers have now followed Wright in his footsteps as coach. VVS Laxman, who had flowered as a batter under Wright’s coaching, is now the coach of India, standing in for Rahul Dravid.

Otherwise too, Laxman coaches India A and monitor the activities of National Cricket Academy in Bangalore. Former India leg-spinner Sairaj Bahutule too has turned to coaching and is currently working at the NCA.

Bahutule is in New Zealand as India’s bowling coach after regular India support staff were given a break after the ICC T20 World Cup 2022, which concluded in Australia recently.

It may be recalled that Wright was the first foreign coach of India, taking over from Kapil Dev in 2000 and coached India till the 2005 home series against Pakistan.

Under Wright India and reached the final of the 2003 50-over World Cup and defeated Australia in that epic home Test series in 2001, besides winning a Test and ODI series in Pakistan in 2003-04 and drawing a Test series away in Australia in the same season in 2003-04.

Wright had also made a brilliant working relation with then skipper Sourav Ganguly as India began to take shape as a all-weather, all-condition team, shedding the tag of home tigers.