Five reasons why Anil Kumble should have been retained as Team India's coach

Anil Kumble resigned on Monday, June 21, 2007, after months of persisting animosity between the coach and captain Virat Kohli as well the BCCI. The spat between Kohli and Kumble had come as a surprise as the former leg-spinner and cricketing legend had backed Kohli in almost every decision taken for the team. Recently, the BCCI had opened the post of Head coach and invited applications from interested candidates, thus making their displeasure with Anil Kumble known.

But Kumble has had a brilliant track record as India’s coach. Here are five reasons why Anil Kumble should have been retained as team India’s coach until World Cup 2019.

1)   Track record as coach

It has been a year since Anil Kumble was appointed as the coach of the Indian team. And in this time India has lost only one Test out of the 17 they have played. India not only beat New Zealand and England at home but also beat West Indies in an away series. The only match they lost was against Australia in Pune but went on to win the series. 
India became the World No 1 in Test in October 2016 and continued to hold the position for six months. Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravinder Jadeja were also promoted as batsmen and had become two of India’s most dependable all-rounders. The overall performance of the team became better under him

2)    Discipline

Anil Kumble was one of the most persistent and persevering bowlers in the world. A testament to this fact is his coming out to bowl with a broken jaw and went on to bowl 14 overs against the formidable West Indies in Antigua back in 2002. While remembering the incident, Sourav Ganguly said that "He was a champion and will remain a champion in my eyes."

Anil Kumble is in trouble because of his ‘headmaster’ style of coaching the players which have not gone down well with the team. However, this has given India great results. He had a similar style while mentoring Mumbai Indians and they went on to win the IPL trophy because of it.

3)    Continuing the current form

Team India has been performing consistently well in all the three formats of the game even beating England when they toured India. Team India has had the same squad in Test matches which has worked well for the team. Bringing another coach as a replacement may break the flow of performance since the new coach will bring in his methods. BCCI should have kept Kumble until the end of World Cup 2019.

4)    Familiarity with overseas conditions

Kumble was a crucial part of team India when it started winning abroad. His bowling spells against Pakistan and West Indies is legendary. Although conditions of pitches around the world have changed over the years, Kumble’s experience can help guide the bowlers to take on any team in any field. He has been a guide to bowlers like Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravinder Jadeja, who was known to only perform well in the subcontinent and also given a unique flair to Umesh Yadav’s bowling. Umesh, who has emerged as one of the best bowlers India has seen in recent years, was only known for brilliant pace. But under Kumble’s guidance, he has been able to vary it and therefore become more dangerous in the field.

5)    Matches Kohli’s aggression

It is proven that Kohli is a very aggressive player and captain and will fight till the very end. A younger Kumble had the same dogged determination to see his team through in a desperate situation. Kumble’s no-nonsense attitude has also rubbed off on the Indian captain and has helped Virat become a better leader. It is true that Virat himself is not happy with Kumble’s style of working and the team prefers Ravi Shastry instead. But the advisory committee comprising of Sourav Ganguly,  Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman had faith in Anil’s ability. Kumble’s demand for an almost 150% fee hike for the players and himself also shows how he values his players’ talent and that of his own. But this is also what upset BCCI against the legendary leg-spinner.

• Anil Kumble
• Virat Kohli
• Kohli-Kumble spat
• Team India