HAPPY BIRTHDAY SANJAy BANGAR: Former India cricketer Sanjay Bangar is perhaps best known for his exploits in the dugout. The current head coach of the IPL team Royal Challengers Bangalore, Sanjay Bangar celebrates his 50th birthday today (October 11). In his prime, Bangar was one of the finest all-rounders of the Indian domestic circuit.
He represented India for a brief period where he played 27 matches, scoring 650 runs and scalping 14 wickets. Post-retirement, Bangar took up the mantle of coaching and has enjoyed a successful spell, mentoring youngsters and churning out quality players. As the former India all-rounder turns 50, let’s take a look at his career as a coach:
Named as India A Coach
Sanjay Bangar was appointed as the head coach of the India A side in 2010. He coached a second-string Indian side and nurtured many young sensations of the time like Shikhar Dhawan, Murali Vijay, and Abhinav Mukund to name a few. Bangar also served as a consultant during this period at BCCI’s National Cricket Academy in Bangalore.
India’s batting coach
After India’s humiliating Test series defeat to England in 2014, BCCI appointed Bangar as the batting coach of the national side. He took charge on August 2014 and remained with the squad for the next five years, helping many of India’s mainstays to improve their craft as batters. Under his tenure, the likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma flourished and scaled unparallel heights as world-class batters.
Stint as India’s interim head coach
Bangar was appointed as the stand-in coach for India’s series against Zimbabwe in June 2016. Under his tutelage a second-string Indian side dominated the tour, winning the T20I series 2-1 and securing a 3-0 whitewash in the 50-over format. After Anil Kumble’s time as head coach ended in June 2017, Bangar again served as the interim coach for a brief period. He was then appointed as the assistant coach once Ravi Shastri took over as head coach. Bangar’s tutoring has been credited for improving India’s lower-order batting, during this time.
Led Kings XI Punjab to IPL Final
Before becoming India’s batting coach, Bangar enjoyed a successful season in the Indian Premier League as the head coach of the Kings XI Punjab. With Bangar at the helm of things in the 2014 season, Punjab had arguably their best run in the IPL as they reached the final of the showpiece event, which remains their best-ever achievement in the league to date.
Royal Challengers Bangalore head coach
Bangar was named the head coach of Royal Challengers Bangalore for the 2021 IPL season. He took over the mantle of coaching the side from New Zealand veteran Mike Hesson.
In his debut season, the Bangalore outfit qualified for the playoffs after finishing fourth in the league but were knocked out of the competition by Kolkata Knight Riders. They repeated the feat in the next season after finishing fourth again but failing to make it through to the finals. Bangar will continue his reign at Bangalore for the next season and will be eyeing to lead them to their maiden IPL title in 2023.
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