Courtney Walsh hails Anil Kumble's appointment as head coach

Former West Indies captain Courtney Walsh said that it is a great move by the BCCI to appoint Anil Kumble as the head coach of the Indian team. He termed the leg-spinner as the one who has “his heart in the right place”.

“I think it is a very good move. He is a very well respected person, and someone who is involved with the ICC as well,” Walsh said.

Earlier, Kumble had posted a picture on Twitter where he was having dinner with Walsh, who is also a national selector. “He (Kumble) has always wanted to contribute and give something back to cricket and his heart is in the right place. I am sure he will do everything in his power to ensure that Indian cricket stays at the top or even gets better,” said Walsh.

“At the same time, I think he will help build the game further, and to me, that is the bigger picture. Sure he wants the Indian team to be number one, but he will not look after them alone. He is someone who wants to sort out Test cricket and the health of international cricket is at the top of his list as well. Having someone like him giving an input at the international level will be great,” he added.

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The 53-year old Windies great said that Kumble’s ability to command respect is what makes him a special prospect. “They will have immense respect for him because they will have seen him play all those years. Plus, Kumble has been involved with cricket quite a lot since he stopped playing and he knows the ins and outs of the current-day game.”

He also praised Virat Kohli for the way he leads the team, who always wants to go out there and express himself. “His passion is second to none, and it reflects in the way they are led by captain Virat Kohli. I like to read body language and you can tell they want to play good cricket, and that this series will be a good one,” said the West Indies selector.

“Well, I think Kumble will succeed in keeping him calm. But at the same time, I don’t think Kohli is a player who wants to go out there and not express himself,” he added. “He leaves everything on the field and as a leader is passionate about the game and his performances. Kohli is like Kumble in that respect, and as a coach, he will be able to guide and help him to achieve success.”

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He said that Virat is one of the top three batsmen in world cricket and said that India has a strong batting line-up in the likes of Murali Vijay, Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara and Rohit Sharma.

“I do believe that Virat Kohli is one of the top three batsmen in the world. They also have other exciting batting talents, Murali Vijay, Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara and Rohit Sharma. All of them will be looking to make a mark in this series. I am excited to see them play here, but at the same time, I also don’t want them to get too many runs against my team,” he added, with a smile.