The star-studded history of cricket, which spans over decades, has witnessed numerous legendary cricketers who have remained connected to the game even after announcing their official retirement from the game as players. From Ricky Ponting to Gary Kirsten, numerous legendary cricket stalwarts have successfully transitioned into the coaching arena and have remained connected to their decades-long passion for the game of cricket.
In addition to their massive fan base of millions of hardcore aficionados from all over the world, these trailblazing cricketers have undoubtedly driven in and successfully inculcated their years of valuable experience and on-field excellence in the younger generation of players as the esteemed coaches of their respective teams.
In this article we will take a look at the top four iconic cricketers who established themselves as successful coaches after announcing their retirement from the game as players.
Top 4 Legendary Cricketers Who Became Successful Coaches
Ricky Ponting
Often regarded as one of the greatest captains and batsmen of the Australian national cricket team, the former Australian international cricketer Ricky Ponting is at the first spot in our list of the top four legendary cricketers who went on to rule the pitch after establishing themselves as formidable coaches. As of July 025, Ricky Ponting continues to hold the coveted record for most ICC tournaments as a captain in men’s cricket, including the 2003 and 2007 Cricket World Cups, and the 2006 and 2009 Champions Trophies. Additionally, Ricky Ponting was also a member of the 1999 Cricket World Cup-winning Australian squad, speaking volumes about his dominant international cricketing career.
After successfully representing Australia across all formats of international cricket for almost seventeen years from 1995 to 2012, Ricky Ponting announced his retirement in 2012 at the age of thirty-seven and was appointed as the assistant coach of the Australian national cricket team during the 2019 World Cup. Additionally, Rickey Ponting has also been appointed as the head coach for Mumbai Indians (MI) and Delhi Capitals (DC). As the head coach of the Mumbai Indians (MI) franchise, Ricky Ponting clinched the IPL 2015 title and also drove the Delhi Capitals (DC) to the IPL finals in the 2020 edition.
Gary Kirsten
At the second spot in our list of the top four iconic cricketers who established themselves as successful coaches after announcing their retirement from the game as players, we have the South African former international cricketer and current coach Gary Kirsten, who was a crucial member of the South Africa team that clinched the 1998 ICC KnockOut Trophy. After playing a record total of 101 test matches and 185 ODIs, Gary Kirsten announced his official retirement in March 2004 after playing his career’s last test match against New Zealand in Wellington.
A few years later after announcing his retirement, Gary Kirsten was appointed as the head coach of the Indian national cricket team in December 2007. Gary Kirsten successfully led the Indian national cricket team to numerous victories, including the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. Gary Kirsten was also appointed as the head coach of the South African national cricket team in August 2011. Moreover, as of July 2025, Gary Kirsten has also served as the head coach for numerous prominent T20 franchises, including Delhi Capitals (DC), Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Gujarat Titans (GT).
John Wright
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Next, at the third spot in our list of the top four legendary cricketers who went on to rule the pitch after establishing themselves as formidable coaches, we have the 71-year-old former international cricketer, John Wright, who represented – and captained – New Zealand. Often regarded as one of the most dominant and lethal opening batsmen, John Wright made his official international debut in 1978 against England and continued to display his unmatched batting prowess till 1993.
Shortly after announcing his retirement from international cricket as a player, John Wright was appointed as the head coach of the Indian national cricket team in 2000, and he continued to lead the Indian side across formats of international cricket till 2005. Owing to his path-breaking coaching and extremely valuable experience in international cricket, John Wright was appointed as the head coach for New Zealand’s national cricket team in 2010. John Wright assisted the New Zealand national squad to be one of the dual-winners of the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy, along with Sri Lanka, and led the team to the finals of the 2003 Cricket World Cup, speaking volumes about his trailblazing influence on the team.
Rahul Dravid
Finally, at the fourth spot in our list of the top four cricketers who established themselves as successful coaches after announcing their retirement from the game as players, we have the legendary Indian former international cricketer Rahul Dravid, who is often regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket. Rahul Dravid clinched the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy as a member of the Indian team and guided the Indian team to victory in the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup as the head coach.
After representing the Indian national cricket team across all formats of international cricket from 1996 to 2012, Rahul Dravid announced his official retirement from the game in March 2012 and was shortly appointed as the head coach of the India A and Under‑19 sides and successfully led India to the Under‑19 World Cup final in 2016 and then to victory in the 2018 edition under captain Prithvi Shaw. Additionally, in July 2019, Dravid was also appointed Head of Cricket at the National Cricket Academy (NCA). Moreover, in November 2021, Dravid was appointed as head coach of the Indian national cricket team.
