Published: Jun 23, 2016, 08:01 PM (IST)
Edited: Jun 23, 2016, 11:33 PM (IST)
Anil Kumble on Thursday became the first Indian coach of India since Kapil Dev who became the coach in the year 1999. Kumble was named the coach of the Indian cricket team for a period of 1-year by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). BCCI President Anurag Thakur said that Kumble was the right choice and was chosen after long discussions. Kumble raced past Ravi Shastri who was also a top competitor for the post. It was the BCCI’s advisory committee consisting of Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman which decided in Kumble’s favor after the candidates had given their presentations. ALSO READ: Anil Kumble appointed Indian cricket team’s head coach
Anil Kumble is the first Indian to be appointed India’s head coach since Kapil Dev (1999-2000) #IndiaCoach
— Bharath Seervi (@SeerviBharath) June 23, 2016
Kapil Dev who was the captain of India’s World Cup winning side, resigned in the year 2000, one year after his appointment. Meanwhile, the 45-year-old spin great was chosen from a list of 57 applications received by the BCCI which was later pruned and placed in front of an advisory panel. ALSO READ: BCCI to decide on support staff for Anil Kumble soon
Former team director Ravi Shastri, who had adopted coaching duties for the team under a stop-gap arrangement after Zimbabwean Duncan Fletcher’s exit in 2015, was also in the frame for the coach’s role. The month-long process for selecting the coach culminated during the penultimate day of the ongoing BCCI Conclave.
“This is the first time we have gone through an elaborate process… interviews by cricketing legends,” BCCI secretary Ajay Shirke said.
Asked why Kumble was given only a one-year contract, Shirke replied: “Anil Kumble is now transforming himself from being the great on the cricketing field to becoming the great coach that we expect him to be.”
(With Inputs from AFP)
