It is not unusual for the Indian cricket establishment to score a self-goal and create a controversy where none should have existed. Even before the Indian team reached England for its first overseas test in a long time, we had TV channels and newspapers debating not the team’s prospects, but why has the board not automatically extended Anil Kumble’s contract as a coach?
Kumble had, a year back, expressed his desire to coach the team, perhaps upsetting the board’s plan of installing their own man. He was given just a one-year tenure, which made little sense, as lesser known names before him had been given a longer reign. Even at that time many had felt that the board was trying to convey to Kumble that he may have been a great player but when it comes to decision making, he will have to play a subservient role.
Whatever the merits and demerits of having appointed him for one year, there is little doubt that Kumble has emerged as a very powerful coach, unlike his predecessors, and taken many far-reaching decisions that have established his primacy over the team. He has also been wise and judicious in not crossing the line and letting captain Virat Kohli be the face of the team. This combination of youthful, aggressive passion and somber, wise counseling has added a new dimension to the team, a reflection of which are the results, even if they happen to be in home conditions so far.
Now when the time has come to test whether this team can replicate this performance away from home, comes this missive from the board, which gives the impression that Kumble’s place as coach could be in doubt. On the face of it, the decision to seek applications for the job could be a step towards being very transparent and following rules. But the board is not a government agency and seeking applications for a coach is not like floating a tender so that no one accuses them of partisanship.
When Kumble has done such an outstanding job and not given anyone reason to believe that he does not want to continue, one would have thought he would get an automatic extension till the 2019 World Cup. Since that has not happened, and he is now going to be one among many presenting their credentials, this has lent credence to rumours that the BCCI has not liked his role in demanding, among other things, a hefty hike for himself and the players.
What makes this whole procedure a bit intriguing is what role, if any, the committee of administrators (CoA) is playing in creating this needless controversy on the eve of an important tournament. In fact, one is increasingly getting the feeling that the CoA is not performing the role it has been mandated to perform by the Supreme Court. One has not heard anything so far on the status of the Lodha recommendations and when they are going to be implemented.
The impression that is getting increasingly reinforced is that the CoA is more busy in running the board than getting the reforms implemented. To cast aspersions on the intentions of a committee which has such eminent people like Vinod Rai and Ramachandra Guha as its members may not be fair, especially when one is aware of the roadblocks the state associations may be creating. There may be valid reasons for the delay and the administrators may be fearing a sabotage that could wreck Indian cricket. Whatever the reasons, it is obvious that the CoA is facing the heat and may have bitten more than it can chew. Time to go back to the Supreme Court, I guess.