He gets a direct entry and doesn’t need to apply for the job if he wants to continue
Couple of hours after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) tweeted a picture of Team India landing in London to defend their Champions Trophy title, there was another post inviting applications for the position of squad's “head coach”.
There is nothing unusual about it as chief coach Anil Kumble’s tenure ends on June 20, after the Champions Trophy. He gets a direct entry and doesn’t need to apply for the job if he wants to continue.
However, the buzz is that the former leg-spinner's recent presentation to the Committee of Administrators (COA) asking for “more money to coach, support staff, players and captain” has not gone down well with the current or former board officials.
Board's acting secretary Amitabh Chaudhary said, “BCCI is only following procedure and due process. The advertisement for new head coach is absolutely impersonal, unbiased and objective. It had to be done as Kumble’s tenure is ending on June 20.”
Amitabh claims that Kumble’s interaction with COA has no bearing on this advertisement. However, going by the whispers in the Indian dressing room and in the BCCI corridors, Kumble appears to have made more enemies than friends during his year long tenure with the Team India.
Chaudhari told DNA that “BCCI is happy with his (Kumble) performance. Nowhere does the advertisement suggest who should apply and who should not. We’re only facilitators and the chief coach will only be selected by Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) comprising Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman”.
On Thursday, while the advertisement created a mini storm in India, Kumble was busy attending meeting of ICC’s cricket committee, of which he is the chairman, in London.
In Kumble's tenure, India reached the No. 1 position in ICC Test rankings and is second in the ODI rankings, behind Australia.
Kumble was appointed coach after his predecessor Ravi Shastri questioned the interview process and behaviour of former captain Ganguly.
Kumble could earn more?
DNA has learnt that many BCCI officials are unhappy with the way Kumble has reached out to the COA in important matters pertaining to the board.
Kumble had communicated to the COA about the team’s willingness to take part in the Champions Trophy when the BCCI was mulling over pulling out of the tournament following dispute over ICC revenue sharing model.
Even in the issue concerning player's salary, Kumble is said to have made a presentation to the COA without keeping BCCI officials in the loop.
Incidentally, those questioning Kumble are the same set of officials who backed him last year despite his alleged “conflict of interest” as he “manages players through his company”.
An official, on condition of anonymity, said, “Kumble flatly compared Indian cricket with that of Australia and England. India has 28 domestic teams while Australia has only six. And even if England has more County teams, the logistics are less there.
“You can’t just flatly compare oranges with bananas,” added the senior official.
Another issue, which few insiders are hinting at, is Kumble’s strong views on certain issues which sometimes clash with the views of players in the dressing room.
“Kumble is strong headed where as Shastri used to take the players along,” an insider said cautiously.
Many officials are also said to be of opinion that Kumble draws Rs 6.5 crore per year and there is no need to increase it.
As per Kumble’s recommendation made to COA, he would earn between Rs 8 to 8.5 crore, which is significantly more than what some Test players earn.
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