CHENNAI: Soon after landing in England for the Champions Trophy beginning on June 1, the Indian team received an unsettling news. Anil Kumble may not be the coach after the event.
Officially, the BCCI wants to invite fresh applications because Kumble’s one-year contract is coming to an end. Unofficially, BCCI officials are miffed with his involvement in talks regarding pay hike for players and coaches. They want to send a message that the coach should concentrate only on his job.
Influential BCCI officials are unhappy that Kumble had communicated to the CoA the team’s willingness to play Champions Trophy, when the BCCI was mulling skipping the event in protest against the ICC’s revenue sharing model. Even in the pay issue, Kumble made a presentation directly to the CoA, without keeping any of the BCCI officials in the loop.
Kumble’s salary is also an issue, as most board officials are of the view that since he already draws `6.5 crore per year, there is no need to increase his pay. If the revised pay comes into play, he will earn between `8-8.5 crore, which is significantly more than what some of the Test players sans IPL contracts earn.
Ironically, the cricket advisory committee of Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman that chose Kumble last year will once again take a call on whether to retain him or hire a new coach.
India’s will head to Caribbean for five ODIs and one T20I after Champions Trophy.