Tenacity is Kumble’s strength, says Srinath

Kumble would be the third coach/ director of cricket that India have had in the last three years. With a deluge of 17 Test matches over the next one year, including 13 at home, it would be interesting to see how Jumbo gels with Test skipper Virat Kohli and imbibe his vision, something that former team director, Ravi Shastri had done well in the past. 

With minimal experience in coaching a full-fledged side, Kumble would be keen to take a leaf out of Gary Kirsten or John Wright’s book, under whom he had played, when the team travels for a fourtest series to the West Indies next month. 

The two coaches had worked tirelessly from behind the scenes and stood away from the spotlight, and it would be easy for the attention-shy Kumble to work on the same lines. As Indian cricket and its aficionados get ready for a one-year eventful journey, Kumble’s statemate and current ICC match referee, Javagal Srinath said the Cricket Board had made the right choice in choosing him for the coveted post. 

“Anil will bring that never-say-die attitude, apart from his technical inputs and the confidence he instils in youngsters. He has that adaptability, that flexibility in his mind. He’s a champion bowler in Test cricket. In ODIs he was very economical. And he’s not far away from this generation. That’s probably is one of the reasons why this post went to him,” he said. The former fast bowler added that Kumble has the ability to get the best out of a cricketer. 

“His tenacity is a great strength. Even if you’re a great talent, Anil is somebody who will be able to extract the best of that talent,” the 46-year-old added. According to Srinath, Kumble’s cool head would keep the team rooted to the ground at all times. 

“In cricket, you learn when you lose and you learn when you win. You need a stable man in these situations. That’s one of his strengths. Irrespective of what the result is, maintaining your composure is extremely important. And that’s something he brings,” Srinath added. 

With the one-year contract raising many eyeballs, former left-arm spinner Venkatapathy Raju feels they should have had a criterion when they fixed the tenure. “We have many matches coming up. If the team does well, an extension of his contract is possible. The amount of cricket he has played is immense and his ideas would definitely propel the team in the right direction,” Raju said. 

Raju said Kumble loved challenges and winning them. “He was hungry for success. Be it bowling with an injury or wriggling the team out of difficulties at crunch situations, Kumble succeeded in all. He would make a good coach because of the way he handles himself. When he interacts, people listen to him because he can talk sense. I feel these qualities go a long way in deciding his tenure later,” Raju added.