Anil Kumble to benefit from home comfort at start of tenure, but battles will get tougher

If the Australian cricket team reckoned India to be the final frontier, it was with very good reason: The Indian cricket team was, and still is, cock of the walk at home. Barring the odd blemish against England and South Africa in recent years, Indians have been virtually unbeatable on their turf. Sachin Tendulkar, who had the misfortune of leading India on three tough away tours — to South Africa, West Indies and Australia, knows how playing cricket overseas can be an entirely different ball game. So when he, along with Saurav Ganguly and VVS Laxman, chose Anil Kumble as the next cricket coach, it was done so with a lot of attention being paid to the team’s schedule. Thirteen Tests at home in conditions that Kumble knows like the back of his hand would be the ideal run-up to the more challenging tours that would come up in the future. [caption id=“attachment_2853134” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Anil Kumble. AFP[/caption] And Kumble would need the cushion of three home series. He has no coaching experience worth its name, but is being saddled with the Indian national side straightaway — a tough ask by any standards. The board has given him an initial term of one year, possibly with the intention of testing his mettle as coach. The fact that most of that year would be spent moulding the team in Indian conditions will help fast forward his credentials. Of course, Kumble the cricketer was an outstanding asset for India as his record proves. But playing and coaching are not quite the same. Kapil Dev, for instance, was one of the greatest cricketers ever produced by India. He led the Indian team to its first World Cup triumph against all odds in 1983 and that put him right up there in the pantheon of cricketing gods. Yet, Kapil as coach was found wanting; no less a voice than Tendulkar expressed his dissatisfaction about it. Another former Indian cricketer who coached for a brief while confessed that his blood pressure shot up when he saw batsmen performing out in the middle. He said he could not accept their approach and found it difficult to contain himself. Kumble presumably understands these issues pretty well. While the board has looked decidedly ginger by offering just a one-year term to start with, it also provides him the right opportunity to test the waters. First comes a tour to West Indies, which should be a breeze for him and the team. The West Indians are a competitive team at most times. But of late it does not look like Test cricket is their cup of tea. India play four Tests starting 21 July,  and the weakened opponent and a foray away from the prying domestic media would be the ideal setting for Kumble to build some sort of rapport with skipper Virat Kohli and other members of the team, including the support staff he is given. Actually, the support staff could be expected to handle the nitty-gritties of the day-to-day running of the team. Kumble will have his hands full devising strategies and forging team spirit. He’d also have to encourage and pump up the players whose form and spirit are flagging and take some load off the skipper. As coach, he would also do well to keep an eye on the India A tour of Australia for a quadrangular 50-over series during August and September. There are also a couple of unofficial Tests being planned for this tour and good coordination with the selectors would be needed to make the best of the opportunity and ensure the best for the Indian team in the long run. The three home series — against New Zealand (3 Tests, 5 ODIs), England (5 Tests, 3 ODIs, 3 T20Is) and Australia (4 Tests) — that run from September till February and the lone Test against Bangladesh would make or break Kumble’s tenure. Good, positive results are expected, particularly as the Indian batting should be in its elements on home turf.  Off spinner Ravi Ashwin, too, would be a major force and the bowling would be built around him. Kumble, who prefers a four-bowler approach unlike skipper Kohli, would probably get his way in Indian conditions. The only really big challenge would be the ICC Champions Trophy in England to be held in June next year, that would come at the fag end of the one-year term. By then Kumble would have worked with both Kohli and limited overs skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, both with different temperaments but identical passion. How well he gels with them and builds a top team would set the tone for him and India in the run up to the 2019 World Cup.