Kumble is on sticky wicket, BCCI begins hunt for new coach
The BCCI on Thursday invited applications for head coach's post, sending a reminder to the current incumbent Anil Kumble that he will not get an automatic extension after his current term expires at the end of Champions Trophy.
Candidates have been asked to apply by May 31 and will be interviewed by the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) comprising Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and V.V.S. Laxman. Also, “to ensure a fair and completely transparent process, a nominee of the Committee of Administrators (CoA) will oversee the entire process”, the BCCI release said.
While Kumble being the current coach gets a “direct entry” into the interview process, the timing of BCCI's announcement makes it clear that the top brass has not exactly been happy with the legendary leg-spinner. Reason: Kumble has taken an aggressive stance while asking for a massive hike in the contracts for players and his own salary.
India had a great domestic season under Kumble winning 10 out of the 13 home Tests with two draws and a single defeat against Australia on a rank turner at Pune. Also under Kumble, India won a Test series comprehensively in the West Indies.
But of late, Kumble's stance on players' pay hike and the manner of his demands have not gone down well with the BCCI.
The surprising aspect has been the timing of the announcement for inviting fresh applications as the team just landed in UK on Thursday for their Champions Trophy defence. “The BCCI could have waited till the end of the Champions Trophy to invite applications. But then no one should take his place for granted,” a BCCI source said, adding, “Kumble is bargaining for himself as well as the players. Fair enough, but tomorrow if BCCI decides to replace him, he will not be in a position to bargain. Some of his demands have been simply inexplicable.”
The BCCI brass apparently is peeved that Kumble demanded 25 per cent extra “captaincy fees” for Virat Kohli as he takes extra burden. His demands for a position in the selection committee in capacity of being the head coach has also been questioned in certain quarters.
According to the BCCI constitution, the coach or the captain attends selection meetings but they don't have a vote. The constitution needs to be revamped and the board is unlikely to consider most of Kumble's suggestions. Its members have made it clear that they won't increase the current 26 per cent revenue that is reserved for the cricketers and would work around that model. — PTI