The problems seem to be increasing for the Indian skipper, Virat Kohli. As per the reports of the Indian Express, with the tenures of Ravi Shastri, bowling coach Bharat Arun and fielding coach R Sridhar coming to an end post the T20 World Cup scheduled to be commencing next month, the BCCI is set to approach Anil Kumble to take on the role of the head coach once again.
Kumble, the former captain and legendary leg-spinner, was head coach of the team before he decided to step down in 2017 after reportedly having a rift with Kohli. On Thursday, Kohli announced that he would step down as captain of Team India in T20s captain, paving the way for the captaincy to be split across formats.
Four years ago, soon after the exit of Anil Kumble, Kohli had asked for Shastri to become the next head coach. But now, with a new regime at the helm after the implementation of a Supreme Court-mandated panel’s recommendations, the reports suggest that BCCI is finding ways to bring Kumble. It is believed that BCCI president Sourav Ganguly had a desire of continuing with Anil Kumble, despite Kohli’s reservations, when he was a member of the BCCI’s Cricket Improvement Committee (CIC).
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Kumble, who was appointed as head coach in June 2016 helped India to reach the final of the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy, which they lost to Pakistan. He is currently in the UAE as head coach and director of cricket operations for the IPL franchise Punjab Kings. Before deciding to approach Kumble, the reports suggest that the BCCI has contacted former Sri Lanka captain and current Mumbai Indians coach Mahela Jayawardene with the offer.
However, Jayawardene is interested in coaching the Sri Lankan team, and the IPL franchise. An India coach cannot take up any other cricketing assignment as the new BCCI constitution doesn’t allow any individual to hold two posts at the same time. If Kumble agrees to come on board, he will also have to give up his IPL assignments — he is also the head of the International Cricket Council’s cricket committee.
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When Kumble was first appointed head coach in 2016, Kohli’s distinctiveness was to complement the coach’s meticulous planning. But after the early differences, cracks started appearing. It was said that Kumble’s emphasis on planning didn’t go well with the captain who wanted his players to “express themselves”.
Thank you! pic.twitter.com/eF5qVzdBRj
— Anil Kumble (@anilkumble1074) June 20, 2017
