Sunday, May 28, 2017

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has stirred up a controversy by inviting applications for Head Coach of the Indian team.

Speculations are rife that the BCCI is not very happy with the current coach Anil Kumble, despite his success.

According to media reports from India, BCCI is upset with Kumble for having aligned with Indian skipper Virat Kohli to demand more money for the players and himself.

The BCCI may well justify their action of inviting applications saying they have followed the normal procedure in appointing a coach.

If that be true, it seems very strange to call for applications when the team is just leaving for a crucial tournament like the Champions Trophy.

Kumble’s term runs till the end of the Champions Trophy, and a tour of the West Indies is set to commence immediately.

If there were plans to extend Kumble’s term, the BCCI would have informed him before the team’s departure.

And if that was not the case, as it seems to be now, they should have followed the normal procedure of inviting applications and conducting interviews before Kumble left for the Champions Trophy.

Shouldn’t Kumble be shaping the team for Champions Trophy rather than preparing himself for an interview?

Very often the media is criticised for raking up controversies; but in this case the BCCI has let themselves to be dragged into a controversy.

It is a well-known fact that former Indian coach Duncan Fletcher, despite being a failure, was given a direct extension without calling for applications.

It is surprising that when it comes to an Indian coach they need to call for applications and conduct interviews even if it is meant to extend the coach’s tenure!

It is high time the BCCI respected their former cricketers who, as coaches, are giving back to the game what they have learnt from it.

Earlier, Ravi Shastri was ignored for Team India coach’s post despite his good record as Team India Director.

If the BCCI has made up its mind to hire a new coach, a dignified thank you is what they should give Kumble, especially for the time and effort he has put in during his tenure.

The first match of the West Indies series is on June 23, five days after Champions Trophy final of June 18. Interviews for a new coach are unlikely be completed by then; hence it is likely that the team may have to tour without a coach or a temporary coach.

It is very clear that the BCCI is staging this drama to prove that they dictate the terms, and any coach who they think has crossed the line of operation will not be entertained.

In the history of Indian cricket no strong minded coach has survived for long, especially if he happens to be an Indian coach and not a foreign one.

K.R. Nayar Chief Cricket Writer

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