The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President Anurag Thakur after appointing former Indian skipper Anil Kumble as the new head coach on Thursday said that the board has complete faith in the legendary leg-spinner.
“After discussions we have taken a final call that for one year Anil Kumble will be the head coach,” Thakur told a packed press conference on the sidelines of the board’s first ever annual cricket conclave in Dharamsala.
“Indian cricket team deserves the best coach, BCCI has complete faith in Kumble. It is not about an Indian or a foreign coach, it is about best coach for India,” Thakur added.
Thakur also said that the support staff will be announced later after further consideration. “Bowling and batting coaches will be decided later,” said the youngest BCCI President.
The BCCI received as many as 57 applications for this high profile post before it was trimmed down to 21. The Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) comprising Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and V.V.S. Laxman, interviewed the shortlisted candidates and recommended the best possible candidates (as per them) to the BCCI president.
Former team India director Ravi Shastri, Sandip Patil, Lalchand Rajput, Pravin Amre, Tom Moody, Stuart Law and Andy Moles were among the prominent names doing the rounds for this high profile post. Kumble’s first assignment with the team will be the four-match Test series against the West Indies next month.