The Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) said on Wednesday that Team India Head Coach Anil Kumble will remain at his post for the tour of the West Indies, subject to his acceptance, says the news agency PTI. Kumble was in the centre of a controversy and there were rumours galore that he would not be given an extension after the ICC Champions Trophy, currently underway in England and Wales, as well as about a ‘rift’ between him and captain Virat Kohli.
According to PTI, CoA head Vinod Rai said that the post would be Kumble’s for the West Indies series if he was willing to continue.
The West Indies series begins from June 23.
Earlier, the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) comprising Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman had decided to retain Anil Kumble as Team India’s head coach. It is learnt that trio, who had roped in Kumble in place of Ravi Shastri, were not too keen on replacing the legendary leg-spinner.
Most senior BCCI members, including acting BCCI president CK Khanna and IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla, against the hasty removal of Kumble, the chances of the spin legend getting an extension has increased manifold.
The three-member committee met June 8 at a five-star facility in London and had a nearly two-hour discussion on the issue but then informed BCCI CEO Rahul Johri that they would need more time.
Accordingly, a press release was issued by acting BCCI secretary Amitabh Chaudhary.
“The Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) of the BCCI met today and discussed the process with regard to the selection of the Head coach of the Senior India Men team and it was decided by the CAC to revert to the BCCI, at an appropriate time,” the statement said.
“Whether it is Anil Kumble retained or anyone else roped in, whoever gets the job will be given a contract till 2019 World Cup,” Khanna had said on Thursday.
The news of skipper Virat Kohli’s alleged difference with Kumble has been making rounds for some time now. The BCCI invited applications for coach’s post and even a section of officials, who are anti-Kumble, convinced Virender Sehwag to apply for the post.
“On one hand, team has had great performances under Kumble. If the team reaches semi-final or say final, the BCCI would cut a sorry figure if they are forced to replace Kumble. On the other hand, cricket teams are essentially run by captains. One needs to respect a captain’s viewpoint also. It’s a Catch-22 situation for CAC members,” a BCCI official said.
The magnitude of problem, according to BCCI insiders, has been blown out of proportion.
“Virat has never come and told any BCCI official that he doesn’t want to work with Kumble. And moreover if Kumble and Virat don’t get along, what is the guarantee that Viru (Sehwag) and Virat will be on the same page. Everyone in Indian cricketing circuit knows that Sehwag is also a no-nonsense person,” the source said.