Mumbai: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) may again ask former India captain Anil Kumble to apply for the post of the Indian team’s head coach once incumbent Ravi Shastri finishes his term after the T20 World Cup.
Kumble served as the coach of Team India for a year between 2016-17 after the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) of Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Sourav Ganguly had appointed him, replacing Shastri.
However, a fall-out with captain Virat Kohli led to Kumble’s exit after India’s Champions Trophy defeat against Pakistan in the final.
Besides Kumble, the BCCI may also approach Laxman, who has been mentoring the IPL franchise SunRisers Hyderabad for some years now. But Kumble remains the favourite for the job.
“Anil Kumble’s exit needs course correction. The manner in which the CoA succumbed to the pressure of Kohli and removed him, wasn’t the best example set. However, it also depends on whether Kumble or Laxman are ready to apply for the job,” a senior BCCI was quoted as saying by news agency PTI on conditions of anonymity.
Meanwhile, Kohli has already announced that he will step down as India’s T20 captain following the World Cup.
The second option for the BCCI is to appoint a foreign coach. “The criteria for BCCI’s coach’s job will be such that only a select few with very good record as player as well as experience of coaching/mentorship can apply for the top job,” the source was quoted as saying by the agency.
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