External Affairs Minister Jaishankar appreciates India-New Zealand bilateral cricket ties

Wellington. Appreciating bilateral cricket ties with New Zealand, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said that India will always be grateful to former coaches John Wright and Stephen Fleming for their contribution to the development of the sport in the country. Jaishankar, who is in New Zealand on an official visit, said the cooperation between the two countries on the cricket field is an example that other countries can follow. Jaishankar said, “We also have a good example of cooperation in the field of cricket. No one in India will ever forget John Wright or whoever watches an IPL match cannot ignore Stephen Fleming.

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We wish everyone the best with cricket, even if we want our team to win.” Wright coached the Indian cricket team from 2000 to 2005. He was the first foreign coach to join the Indian team. He also coached the New Zealand team from 2010 to 2012. Under his guidance, India reached the final of the 2003 ODI World Cup which was jointly hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya. He also coached the Indian Premier League team Mumbai Indians in 2013 and the team won the title under his guidance. After this, he continued to work with the most successful team of IPL for seven years. After retirement, Fleming played for Chennai Super Kings in 2008.

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He became the player cum coach of the team the next year. Under Fleming’s guidance, the Super Kings won two IPL titles in the first six years and were runners-up twice. The team also won the Champions League T20 title once during this period. He also returned as coach in 2018 when Super Kings returned from a two-year ban. Under his guidance, the team won two more IPL titles in 2018 and 2021 and is regarded as one of the most successful coaches of the T20 tournament.