Kumble pads up for another innings
Current India coach Anil Kumble is hoping to extend his tenure with the national side beyond the ongoing Champions Trophy after he officially re-applied for the post.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had announced that the post for national team coach will be advertised with Kumble’s contract due to expire at the end of this month.
Although successful on the field, India have only lost one series under Kumble in the last year, there have been reports of a rift with captain Virat Kohli.
The supposed rift with the skipper has though not deterred Kumble from applying for the position again.
The former India legspinner is part of a sixman shortlist that includes Virender Sehwag, Tom Moody, Richard Pybus, Lalchand Rajput and Dodda Ganesh.
All six candidates will be interviewed by the BCCI’s Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), which consists of Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman.
The CAC will have to make a decision close to the end of the Champions Trophy, 18 June, because India are set to play a limited-over series in the Caribbean against the West Indies soon after the tournament concludes.
Craig McDermott, the former Australian fast bowler had also sent an application but that arrived after the May 31 deadline. The CAC will assess the application and determine his eligibility for the interview.
The new coach, whoever it is, is likely to get a twoyear contract with the 2019 World Cup as a main target.