John Wright ? as a "foreign" coach -- has imprinted himself on the Indian cricket consciousness (and, as a result, into Indian cricket folklore) in a manner that none of his Indian predecessors could even come close to. This is especially impressive considering his predecessors were some of the biggest Indian names in international cricket -- Bedi, Wadekar and Kapil Dev, to name a few.

Wright leaves an incredible legacy. In the 11 years prior to his tenure, India had won just 19 Test matches out of 77, and only two of these were outside of India -- one of which was Bangladesh's inaugural Test. While India had not lost a series at home during this time, outside its borders it had won just one Test series since in 1986 -- in Sri Lanka, back in 1993. But this was when the island nation was still a cricketing minnow itself.

An abysmal record? For a nation with a rich and proud cricket tradition, decidedly so. But during the four and a half years under John Wright, India has won 20 of 51 Tests, losing only 15. More significantly, nine of these wins have been outside of India, with wins in Sri Lanka, Pakistan, England, West Indies, and ? yes -- even Australia. And when India won the Test series in Pakistan last year, it was not only its first in Pakistan, but its first in over a decade, and its first against a major international cricket team in 18 years.

That is not all. In 2002, India was joint winner of the ICC Champions Cup, and in 2003, Wright guided India into the World Cup final -- an especially remarkable feat given India had been pathetically blown away for just 125 in only its second match of the tournament.

This is an extraordinary turnaround. Although four-and-a-half years may seem a long time for the man himself, it is but a small chapter in the larger context of Indian cricket history. So if his tenure is looked at from this perspective, India has enjoyed many memorable and historic moments in this short span of time -- Port-of-Spain 2002, Headingley 2002, Adelaide 2004, Multan and Rawlpindi 2004, the two one-day tournaments already mentioned, and, of course, Eden Gardens, Calcutta, March 2001.

But there's more to the Wright legacy than hard stats and achievements. Wright transformed the Indian cricket team, and in doing so, Indian cricket itself. From a group of individuals, oozing with unbounded talent, but reeking of shabby amateurism and gross underachievement, Wright fashioned them into Team India -- a team of dedicated, hard working and highly motivated professionals capable of locking horns with the best. Indian cricket fans, accustomed to impromptu capitulations that always seemed imminent, suddenly found that their team was capable of the good fight and would not cower even before what is arguably one of the greatest cricket teams of all time.

There were many in the beginning -- particularly self-interested, insecure, xenophobic retired players -- who derided Wright and vehemently argued against appointing a "foreign" coach. They "celebrated" every defeat with calls for his immediate removal, using such negative results as convenient justification for their misconstrued arguments. But Wright always had the unflinching backing of the players, particularly the captain and vice-captain, who had petitioned the Board on his behalf when it was looking for a replacement after the inglorious exit of Kapil Dev.

In his immortal poem "IF," Rudyard Kipling wrote:

Unlike his predecessors who had longer and more impressive resumes, Wright stood out by his attitude. Quiet, modest and reserved, yet determined, tough-minded and disciplined, Wright displayed extraordinary humility, allowing his players to shine in the limelight and savor the sweetness of victory, while he himself bore the brunt of condemnation when the team tasted bitter defeat. India had had a cacophony of coaches -- loud, outspoken, boisterous, flamboyant, and often egocentric. Wright was a refreshing harmony -- he let the results speak for him. And as the successes accumulated, the snipes and barbs soon subsided.

In a nation that treats victories like the Second Coming and defeat like the end of the world, Wright always approached each result the same, never letting success impair his perspective and offering no excuses for defeats.

Wright recognized and understood the passion with which the Indian public followed its cricket. He was moved at the sight of the common man on the street, barely able to earn enough for himself, but willing to spend a considerable amount of his earnings to watch his team play -- all he asked for in return was for his team to fight and play with heart. Wright made the players appreciate their exalted status in Indian society, and imbued in them an ethos of hard work, professionalism and pride.

When John Wright finally departs, many tears will be shed, and he will be sorely missed. He is not an Indian, yet he will join the ranks of great Indian men and women who brought pride and honor to a country accustomed to underachievement and disappointment. That a "foreigner" could touch so many hearts in this way speaks volumes about how truly extraordinary this man is

For more articles by Shardul Mehta, go to http://www.changetheorder.blogspot.com