Kumble wants to stay coach
Current coach provides elaborate road map for Indian cricket’s future with his application
NEWDELHI: Anil Kumble has ‘officially’ forwarded his application for the job of Indian cricket team coach, according to reports.
The current coach forwarded his resume despite BCCI stating earlier that the former India skipper would be getting a direct entry into the coach selection process.
Kumble’s application was one of the first to arrive when the process was opened by the BCCI on May 25, according to a report in ESPN Cricinfo.
Along with his CV, Kumble has forwarded a detailed roadmap illustrating his vision for the Indian cricket team’s future.
However, news has been doing the rounds that many senior members of the Indian cricket team, including captain Virat Kohli, are ‘uncomfortable’ with the “intimidating” style of Kumble which might weigh his stock down during the selection process for the new coach.
THE CONTENDERS
Anil Kumble and five other candidates -- Virender Sehwag, Tom Moody, Richard Pybus, Lalchand Rajput and Dodda Ganesh have been shortlisted by the BCCI and will be interviewed by the three-member cricket advisory committee (CAC) of the board.
The CAC -- that comprises of Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman -- is likely to meet in the next couple of days to finalise the interview schedule as the BCCI is keen to appoint a new coach before the ICC Champions Trophy ends.
Indian cricket team is scheduled to travel to the Caribbean islands soon after the Champions Trophy where they are playing a limited-overs series against the West Indies.
It has also been reported that the BCCI would be giving the new coach a two-year contract, which would expire in 2019. Kumble was handed a one-year contract, when he was appointed in 2016.
Under Kumble, India has begun well at the Champions Trophy by beating Pakistan. Found repeatedly flouting even the spirit of the rules, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had argued through anonymous officials that its seeking applications for prospective India coaches is only in keeping with the letter of the law; even if that went against the dictum ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’
After the controversy for a fortnight over reports coach Anil Kumble has become unpopular with skipper Virat Kohli and other players and hence is unlikely to stay on despite his success in the first year, it now emerges he has applied for the job despite being a direct entry and has also given a roadmap -- read plan to win