Applicant No. 57 - Now Kumble joins the race for Indian coach
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Former India Test captain Anil Kumble is in the race for India’s cricket coach, one of the 57 applications that the BCCI has received which also includes foreign candidates. The ICC Cricket Committee Head, Kumble, has managed IPL teams Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians in the past.
The BCCI’s press release on Sunday had only said that there were 57 applicants for the post of India coach without naming the candidates. The position had remained vacant since Duncan Fletcher’s contracted expired after the 2015 World Cup. According to The Hindu, Anil Kumble, who played for India in 132 Tests and 271 ODIs, is also one among the candidates. Among the applicants who admitted they had applied as coach, Kumble’s 956 international test wickets make him the biggest in stature.
It is yet to be seen if the BCCI would accept the application, with the former Indian captain only having coached IPL teams like Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians. One of the BCCI’s stipulations for the top slot was that the candidate “should have successfully coached a cricket team of any of the member countries of the ICC, at the first class or at the International level.”
Sanjay Bangar is the interim coach for the Indian team touring Zimbabwe. The team will travel to the Caribbean to play four Tests under Kohli’s captaincy. The BCCI will want to pick a coach before the series, with New Zealand, England, Bangladesh, and Australia set to visit India.
The BCCI’s latest press release mentioned that the “scrutiny of the applications received is now being carried out by the office of the honorary secretary (Ajay Shirke) of the BCCI. After this initial scrutiny, the list of candidates who meet the criteria will be processed for further consideration.”
India’s Test captain Virat Kohli and ODI captain MS Dhoni will have a major say in the selection, with both of them needing to have a good rapport with the candidate.
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