After much speculation, Anil Kumble has been appointed as India’s head coach, as the BCCI made the announcement on Thursday.
The decision is indeed not a surprise after the BCCI’s cricket advisory committee comprising Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman met on Wednesday to discuss and deliberate on the options after the choices had narrowed down to the former India test captain and Ravi Shastri.
Although Kumble does not have any prior tryst with coaching at the first class or international level, here’s a look at five reasons why we think he is the right fit for the job:
1) Experience
The former Test captain who shouldered the bowling for India for the major part of his test career, comes with a wealth of experience that is unrivaled. He is by far the highest wicket taker for the country in all international matches and one of only three bowlers with over 600 wickets in test cricket. He will be able to pass on some useful tips to the present cricketers who can gain valuable insights on the game from him.
2) Temperament
Kumble is a man of high integrity and known for his no-nonsense approach to things. His calm temperament came to the fore in Australia during the Monkeygate controversy when he handled the situation maturely and never lost his cool. His composure will help the players when they are in tight match situations.
(For those of you who don’t know, the Monkeygate controversy erupted after Andrew Symonds alleged that Harbhajan Singh made a racist slur and apparently called him a ‘monkey’.)
3) Able Administrator
Not only was he an accomplished player, he has also proved himself to be an able administrator. When Kumble took over as the President of the Karnataka State Cricket Association, the move met with immediate success as the state won the Ranji Trophy for the first time in 15 years in 2014. Having proved his mettle as the KSCA President, there is no reason why he cannot achieve success as a coach.
4) Ideal role model
The role of a coach is not limited to technicalities alone. It’s best for Indian cricket if the coach is someone who can be looked upon not only in terms of statistics but also as someone who played the game in the right spirit. Having already tasted success as a mentor for Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League, there are few better role models that the Indian team can look up to.
5) Competitive streak
During his playing days, it was said that Kumble had the competitive streak of a fast bowler even though he used to bowl spin. A classic example of this can be found in the test match against the West Indies played in 2002. Who can forget the enduring image of a bandage-strapped Kumble bowling with a broken jaw and going on to get the prized wicket of star batsman Brian Lara.
It is this competitive streak of Kumble’s which is sure to rub off on the players and combined with Test captain Virat Kohli’s raw aggression, this association will definitely serve Indian cricket well.