Shoaib Akhtar’s blog on Anil Kumble: Finally India have a home-grown coach

So, finally, it is Anil Kumble who’d take over as India coach. I think amongst the contenders for this job he was the best choice but I’d urge the fans to see his appointment in the right context. The hype around this selection process and the final announcement was understandable given that it is the appointment of the coach of the Indian cricket team, the most high-profile outfit. Besides, the panel that was selecting the coach comprised of glittering names like Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman and Sachin Tendulkar. Therefore the media interest was understandable. But the point I am trying to make is remarkably different. It is all very well to have the right guy as coach but what Indian cricket needs is a set of bowlers who can pick 20 wickets and batsmen beyond Virat Kohli to win a string of Test series abroad. It will be misleading and foolhardy to expect the new Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur or now Kumble with the Indian team to turn around the fortunes of these teams. To me the entire system from the top – the board, the selectors, the cricket committees, the coaches, the captains – make team a winner. An individual coach cannot make much of a difference. Coaches are there to organise practice, manage the minds and emotions of young players, plan strategies, present a sympathetic ear in troubled times and keep them grounded when they ride a success wave. I am sure Kumble with his strong personality and experience can do all of this but please don’t be in a rush to rubbish him if the team does not do well. To me yardstick of success for any system is the camaraderie in the dressing-room, growth of individual talent, grooming of future leaders, strong work ethic and a rich legacy left behind. I know everything these days is professional and corporatized. It is all about bottom lines, numbers and bone-dry results/statistics but trust me sport is a great deal beyond that. It is about human emotions and handling of the same. To me Rahul Dravid is the most evolved cricketer from India. When he first came in he looked pretty limited in shorter format. I’d like to believe that Rahul’s own hard work combined with the presence of John Wright, Greg Chappell and Gary Kirsten as India coaches would have helped him develop his game. This is what I mean by growth of individual talent. On another note I must admit that the moment Kumble had applied for the job I was pretty sure in my mind that he’d get the final vote. A man of his stature won’t apply if he wasn’t sure of getting the job. There is no doubt in my mind that the leg-spinner’s time with the Big Three – Tendulkar, Laxman and Ganguly – would have also tilted the scales in his favour. They’d know how Kumble thinks and functions. A section of media also claims that Kumble’s appointment was also a step to blunt Virat Kohli’s dominance. He has sung high praises for Indian team director Ravi Shastri who too was in the coaching job. Media’s theory is that appointment of Shastri would have made Kohli even more powerful. I am not sure if there is any truth to this but in India and Pakistan these things are pretty common. On his part Kohli has welcomed Kumble to the fold. I liked the fact that he addresses Kumble as “Sir” in his tweet. This is a first indication that he acknowledges the magnitude of Kumble’s contribution to Indian cricket. I won’t claim that I know Kohli that well but whatever I see from a distance is pretty heartening. He is not only an outstanding cricketer but also a street-smart man. He too would know that for his captaincy to look better he’d need quality in his team, a coach like Kumble is only a small part of the entire jigsaw. Personally, I would have liked a longer stint for Kumble. One year is too short a period to judge him. I don’t want to be too critical of this and would rather wish luck to Kohli-Kumble combo. After John Wright, Gary Kirsten and Duncan Fletcher we finally have a home-grown coach for Indian team which is a good sign. Let us hope India rides well this “Jumbo” wave.