Seldom does it happen that a big decision taken at the BCCI’s headquarters is not only unopposed but also unanimously applauded across various forums. Indian legendary spinner Anil Kumble’s appointment as the Indian coach is one such instance. With voices ranging from former and present cricketers to the sports journalists across the globe hailing the appointment, BCCI for the first time in many years have proved to the world that it can do things in a transparent manner too. This after Indian courts drubbing BCCI as unconstitutional and a body with many irregularities requiring reforms is a shot in the arm for the board that is desperately trying to set things straight within its rank. 

Without an iota of doubt, credit for this masterstroke goes to three of the best batsmen in Indian cricket: Sachin Tendulkar, Saurav Ganguly and VVS Laxman, who formed the committee that overlooked the process of selecting the head coach for the Indian team. It would be worth imagining how the mood of the meeting room would have been when these players from the recent past, who have played more than 100 tests with each other, joined hands to take one of the most important decisions in Indian cricket.

Kumble as coach

This former Indian captain is a fighter. In his playing days, he was an epitome of courage, determination and grittiness. One look at his career stats is enough for anyone to fall in the line of his long queue of fans. He is the third highest wicket-taker in the cricket history and one of the most respected cricketers in the world. Be it his 10 wicket haul against Pakistan or the images of him coming to bowl with heavy bandage strapping up his broken jaw against West Indies in 2002, this man can only inspire youngsters in a positive manner.

An Indian coach is required to be extremely efficient in managing people in and around the team and still take a backseat. Kumble ticks all the boxes in this regard. The best example of that can be the way he handled the sponsorship crisis just before 2003 World Cup when he became the face of the agitating player’s union. Another example of it can be when he took over the captaincy in 2008 at the age of 37 and singlehandedly sailed the ship of Indian cricket during the infamous ‘monkey gate’ incident involving Symonds and Harbhajan Singh during the Australian tour. On all occasions, Kumble came out with his head held high.

Handling captain

In Indian cricket, the coach’s term at the helm is directly proportional to the relationship he has with the captain. In this regards, Kumble has had a nice start already. He has previously captained Virat Kohli in IPL and his stature as a player will have a forceful impact on the captain. Compared to others, it will also be a lot easier for Kumble to show the ‘aggressive’ Kohli the other side of the coin if the need arises, simply because of the stature of this man. Also, it can be safely assumed that the two will get along well because they both are extremely competitive and have no non-sense approach to the game.

Handling team

Coming to the team, it is totally different from the team he once captained. It doesn’t have stars and apart from Kohli and R Ashwin, there hardly seems to be a player who has cemented his place in the national squad yet. His main goal would be to identify players who can form the core the team for a long-term. He also needs to address the bowling department, which has faltered more than the number of times it has actually delivered.

Although Kumble doesn’t have prior experience as a coach, he has all the ingredients to become a great one. His never-say-die attitude, hunger for success and commitment are only a few qualities among many he possesses. It now remains to be seen how he goes about converting these qualities into being a mentor for youngsters who look up to this cricketing giant with respect.

For now, it is the beginning of the Kohli-Kumble partnership. One can only hope that the two take the Indian cricket to new heights. Kohli and his team would do well in trying to emulate Kumble’s feats and Kumble, on the other hand, would have done a wonderful job if he leads the youngsters to achieve even half of what he achieved as a cricketer.