The Indian cricket board on Thursday made former skipper and spin
great Anil Kumble the national coach for a one-year term, ending a
16-year tradition of giving foreigners the role.
The announcement suggested that an advisory committee of Sourav
Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman prevailed in the Board of
Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) decision to pick their former
teammate from a 21-candidate shortlist, which included former cricketer
Ravi Shastri.
The 45-year-old Kumble holds the Indian record for most Test and
one-day international wickets — 619 and 334 respectively — but hardly
has any coaching credentials.
He becomes the first home-grown coach after a string of foreign
coaches since Kiwi John Wright’s appointment in 2000. The legendary
Kapil Dev coached the team before Wright.
“It’s a huge responsibility, ready to take this role. Coaches come
later, it’s always players first. Strategy will be to win,” said Kumble,
who led India in 14 Tests.
