Talks about who would be the next Indian Cricket Team Coach were going on from long. But now the president of the Board of Cricket for Control in India (BCCI), Anurag Thakur has said that the next Indian Cricket Team Coach (for an year) will be Anil Kumble
Well the top two names that the BCCI has been thinking over from long were of Anil Kumble and Ravi Shastri. “We are hopeful that the name will be announced before today evening,” Thakur said earlier in the day today.
Anil Kumble is a former Indian cricketer and also former captain of the Indian Cricket Team. He came into cricket in the late 90s and since then has made several records as a right-arm leg spinner and has been a part of many victories. Kumble, popularly known as ‘Jumbo’ made his test debut against England in a three matches series. It was the year 1996 that proved to e immensely fortunate for him. This was the year when he claimed 61 ODI wickets and made his space in the Indian Cricket Team for long. He was then selected for the 1996 World Cup and turned out as the leading wicket taker in the tournament for India. The country witnessed him taking retirement on 2 November, 2008. Though after his retirement, he agreed for contract with Bangalore Royal Challengers for the Indian Premier League.
A well-placed senior official from BCCI told, “Kumble wasn’t shortlisted first. People in the BCCI are well aware that Kumble doesn’t meet two very important criteria set for the aspirants. He doesn’t have any previous coaching experience at first-class or international level, nor is he a certified coach. This is why Kumble wasn’t shortlisted following the initial scrutiny. But the committee wanted to look into his application, which was made available.” Kumble was later added to the list and seems like he managed to convince the board in his interview which held this morning.
The high-profile Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) including master-blaster Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman reportedly completed the interview process on Tuesday in Kolkata and were planning to announce the name of the new Indian Cricket Team Coach later in the evening as they did. Sourav Ganguly summarised the Tuesday event and said, “Around 10 candidates gave their interviews today, we have made our choice and the name will be forwarded to the Secretary tonight itself. The interview process is now over. There will be no more interviews after this.”
Kohli, the current Indian Cricket Team Vice-Captain, lately has been praising Shastri a lot and thanked for his great support and contribution towards the team. In his statement he said, “It’s been wonderful to have him on board. It was one of the situations we needed to get together as a team and he helped us do that in a big way. As long as he wants to continue in that job, its going to be beneficial to team. He has given confidence to everyone in the team, we are young side, you need someone who has been there and done that.”
Also, further appreciating his contribution, Kohli said, “He is someone who has played cricket on his own terms. Played it with lot of composure, character and belief. When a guy who has done all that talks to you, a young players gets confident. You can believe what he says.”After Kohli’s comments, when Sourav Ganguly was asked by the media if his and other player’s opinions would be considered or not? He said, “We’re not going to consult the players, for the committee has been given the responsibility.”
Well, we congratulate Mr. Anil Kumble on becoming the next coach of the Indian cricket team. Now it would be interesting to see how the team India would perform in the approaching matches under the guidance of the New Indian Cricket Team Coach Anil Kumble.
