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Business News/ Mint-lounge / Features/  Anil Kumble joins the list of names for India team coach
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Anil Kumble joins the list of names for India team coach

A look at the rumours and contenders for the post, which will be announced next week

Anil Kumble has also donned the role of a mentor post his retirement from IPL (he was “chief mentor” of RCB, till January 2013, and for the Mumbai Indians, till November 2015). Photo: Hindustan TimesPremium
Anil Kumble has also donned the role of a mentor post his retirement from IPL (he was “chief mentor” of RCB, till January 2013, and for the Mumbai Indians, till November 2015). Photo: Hindustan Times

Former Indian cricket captain and India’s greatest match winner Anil Kumble has reportedly applied for the post of Indian team coach that was advertised by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). After the deadline elapsed on 10 June, the BCCI announced that it received 57 applications from both India and abroad. Their decision is expected to come after the BCCI working committee meeting, scheduled to be held in Dharamshala on 24 June.

There is much excitement around this news. As a player, Kumble’s experience and successes are well-known: besides having led India in the past, he also took a total of 956 international wickets (337 in ODIs and 619 in tests). After his retirement from International cricket in November 2008, Kumble joined the Indian Premier League (IPL) from 2009 to 2012, leading the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) to the finals in 2009. He was also the second highest wicket taker of that tournament.

While Kumble has also donned the role of a mentor post his retirement from IPL (he was “chief mentor" of RCB, till January 2013, and for the Mumbai Indians, till November 2015) he does not meet some of the BCCI pre-requisites. One of these states that a candidate should “have successfully coached a cricket team of any of the member countries of the ICC, at the first class or at the International level." Another stipulation is that the “preferred candidate should be qualified through a certification/assessment program conducted by any of the Full Member countries, and currently possess such a valid certification."

While the assessment of applicants is being scrutinised by the BCCI, the views of India’s captains too—M.S. Dhoni in ODIs and T20Is, and Virat Kohli in Tests—is expected to play a pivotal role in the decision.

While it is rumoured that strong foreign applicants are also in the running, only Indian names are in circulation.

Here’s a look at the other high profile applicants for the job:

Former all-rounder turned analyst and TV commentator, Ravi Shastri, is the leading candidate. Photo: Getty Images
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Former all-rounder turned analyst and TV commentator, Ravi Shastri, is the leading candidate. Photo: Getty Images

Ravi Shastri

Shastri has in the past year and half held the post of director of the Indian cricket team. A former all-rounder turned analyst and TV commentator, he is the leading candidate. Since he was brought in by the BCCI in August 2014, the team reached the ICC No. 1 Test rankings, performed well in various global tournaments and topped it off with a landmark 3-0 victory in the T20I series held in Australia.

Sandeep Patil

The hard hitter of the 80s fondly remembered by many, is a highly qualified candidate on paper. With past Indian coaching experience, he was named the chairman of the BCCI selection committee in 2012, and has held that post since.

Venkatesh Prasad

Instrumental to India’s pace-bowling attack in the 90s, Prasad began coaching in 2006. He has since been India’s bowling coach, coached the Under-19 team, and is currently the bowling coach for IPL team RCB.

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Many in the cricket community believe that the role of a coach is almost redundant. What’s required is a person who can successfully bring together the different, and sometimes even contrasting, personalities of the team into one unified side. In this respect, the job goes beyond imparting technical skills to the players. Despite his lack of experience, this is a job that Kumble could do very well, since he was considered a good communicator by his teammates, going to great lengths to solve problems and disputes among players. Kumble is currently heading the ICC cricket committee.

The interim Indian team coach for the team’s Zimbabwe stint is Sanjay Bangar. The BCCI will likely choose the coach before India’s tour of the West Indies next month, where they will play four Tests. This is not to mention India’s packed upcoming home-season, with 13 Test matches against New Zealand, England, Bangladesh, and Australia.

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Published: 15 Jun 2016, 05:19 PM IST
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