New Delhi, Sept 22:
Former Indian cricket team head coach John Wright has described late Jagmohan Dalmiya as a “pragmatic” cricket administrator and “best boss” he has worked for.
Wright, who coached India between 2000 and 2005, said that Dalmiya, who passed away on Sunday, was a “tough” but “fair” boss.
“I am very sorry to hear about Mr Dalmiya’s passing away and as I look back at our time together when I was coach of India, he was probably the best boss I have worked for. He was a tough but fair boss,” Wright said in his column for ‘Cricinfo’.
“I enjoyed working for him because he was tough but he was fair. And he always did what he said. I had a lot of time for him…We gained a great friendship and respect for each other,” said the New Zealander.
“He cared about the team very much and he cared about Indian cricket. But he was pragmatic enough to know that if things weren’t going well, then something would have to be done and it would probably start with the coach.”
Wright said what he “loved” about Dalmiya was his non-interference.
“The thing I loved about him as a boss was that he never interfered, but you knew very well where you stood with him. He didn’t interfere with me about how to coach, you just had to report and let him know what was going on.
“He was hands off in that respect. It is why I say he is probably the best boss that I worked for, in terms of not telling you how to do your job, but telling you what was expected,” Wright said.
Explaining the pragmatic part of Dalmiya further, the former New Zealand opening batsman said, “During one of our meetings just before the team left for the 2003 World Cup, he wished me good luck and said, ‘if you don’t come first or second we might not be meeting again’.
“When we reached the final, I was re-employed, and to me that was okay, because we used to joke about it. We knew there was a lot at stake, that it was important that the team did well,” said Wright. PTI
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