Reports: BCCI to approach Anil Kumble for head coach’s role after Ravi Shastri’s tenure

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is set to approach Anil Kumble for the role of head coach in the Indian cricket team. As per reports, the world’s richest cricket board contemplated the same after Virat Kohli decided to step down as India’s T20I skipper following the 2021 edition of the T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates to be played in October-November.

Kumble was appointed as Team India’s head coach back in 2016 after Ravi Shastri’s tenure as the team director ended following the World T20 in India. However, Jumbo, as he’s popularly known, got tangled into the controversy with Kohli after which he resigned in 2017. Reports had suggested that Kohli wasn’t happy with Kumble’s style of coaching the national cricket team.

In his resignation letter, Kumble also stated that his “complementary skills” like profession, commitment and discipline had to be valued for a partnership to be “effective”. Thereafter, Shastri was roped in as India’s head coach. Back in 2019, he became the head coach yet another time after beating the likes of Mike Hesson, Anshuman Gaekwad and Tom Moody.

BCCI reached out to Mahela Jayawardena as well

Going by reports in The Indian Express, the BCCI had also approached Mahela Jayawardena for the head coach’s role. But he turned down the offer, saying that he’s more interested in being the consultant of the Sri Lanka U19 team and the head coach of the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League. Under Jayawardena’s tutelage, MI have become the five-time IPL champions.

As far as Kumble is concerned, his name has come into the picture as Shastri’s tenure as the head coach is set to end after the upcoming T20 World Cup. Under Shastri, India have tasted loads of success across all the three formats, although they are yet to get their hands on an ICC trophy.

In the last couple of weeks, Indian cricket has gone through a turbulent phase after the Manchester Test postponement and Kohli stepping down. Rohit Sharma, the limited-overs vice-captain as of now, is the most likely candidate to replace Kohli as India’s T20I skipper after the mega event.