'Player interest will come first'

Need to adopt a hands-on approach with the young team, says Kumble

Sachin Tendulkar, Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman formed a golden generation of Indian cricket between the late 90s and late 2000s when the Senior National team enjoyed great success both at home and on the road, especially in Tests.

Along with those four batting stalwarts, Kumble was no less influential in shaping the team’s fortunes.

With the appointment of Kumble as the new coach of the Indian team, the Fab Five have reunited again in different roles to take the Indian cricket forward. While Tendulkar, Ganguly and Laxman are part of the three-member Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) that picked Kumble as coach, Dravid has been the coach of India ‘A’ and India U-19 sides that are supply lines to the senior team.

“Players-come-first will be my approach,” said the former India captain on being handed a one-year contract as the team’s coach. “I have played a lot of cricket with the three members of the CAC, and a lot of cricket with Rahul, so the five of us will be in touch and we will have to coordinate and speak to each other also.

“I have seen the responsibilities and pressures that coaches go through. I thought this was a good time to return to Indian cricket, to be in the dr­e­ssing room, keep the atmosphere good. I have a short-term plan as well as a long-term plan. But I cannot plan alone, I have to share my thinking with the full team and they will also share their ideas with me.”

Kumble played international cricket for almost 18 years before retiring in 2008 as the captain of the Indian Test team. He continued to play in the Indian Premier League till 2010 and obviously has stayed away from his young family for lengthy periods. His wife Chethana’s opinion was important in him showing interest in the job that will require a lot of travelling.

“I’m really honoured,” he said. “It’s a big responsibility. I spoke to my family as well because it’s not easy travelling for 365 days but my wife has been very supportive.”

The former ace leg-spinner also addressed questions on his possible conflict of interest — that of having a stake in a company that was into player-management. “Whatever needs to be done will be done before I take up this role officially. It’s been discussed with the BCCI already,” he said.

Kumble also stressed on the need to make the young Indian team buy into his ideas.

“This is a very young team with a lot of potential,” he said. “They've shown in the recent past that they're capable of beating big sides. Obviously it's too early for me to say anything. Yes I have plans; I've laid out some blueprints, but at the end of it the team has to buy in and that's what I'm really looking forward to. I had a chat with Virat. MS (Dhoni), once he comes back from Zimbabwe, I'll have a chat with him as well.

“This is a young team. I certainly believe that as a coach of a young team, you need to be hands on and you need to really get your hands dirty as well: train with them, be a part of their training. And be with them more like an elder brother, in every aspect, not just on the field, but also off it. That's something I will be focusing on. There's a camp here (from 29th). It'll be nice to get to know these players. I know all of them obviously; I've worked with a few of them, played with a couple of them. It'll be a new beginning.”

Talking about the roadmap he presented before the CAC during his interview, Kumble said: “A lot of people have been talking about this presentation but it's just a plan. It needs inputs from other people as well. I certainly believe that we have a good set of people. And of course there are other stakeholders as well. We can put together a proper plan for the next three years. Of course I'm in charge for one year, but I think it's important to plan beyond that as well.”