COACH SPEAKS

Interview with Ganguly, Laxman, Tendulkar was nerve-racking: Kumble

by Cricbuzz Staff • Published on

Anil Kumble insisted that India's mindset towards overseas Tests needed a change © Cricbuzz

Anil Kumble, the newly-appointed India coach, labelled the experience of being interviewed by Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman and Sachin Tendulkar (via teleconference) as 'nerve-racking'. Speaking to bcci.tv on Thursday (June 23), following his appointment, the former India captain said it was a strange experience when he had to face his former colleagues at the opposite end of the table while submitting his presentation during his job interview for the post of coach of the Indian team.

"It was very different because this was the first interview that I was attending. My colleagues who I have played with throughout my career were on the other side of the table. It was very strange. It was quite nerve-racking."

Kumble said improving the team's overseas record will be his primary goal and conceded that the team has been comfortable playing at home, whichnecessitatesa change in the mindset.

"The first four Tests will be in the West Indies where the conditions are not that different to India," he said. "But the Indian conditions are something we are all comfortable with. The focus will be on (improving) our overseas record and the mindset is something we need to address from home itself. When we sit down that's something we'll need to make a plan and ensure we train towards achieving those goals."

Having led the Test side at the fag end of his career, the 45-year-old stressed on the importance of taking the pressure off the captain a bit by creating more leaders in the camp. "[It is] important as a coach to take the burden off the captain," he said. "Captain has a lot of things on his head, all cricketing decisions and non-cricketing as well. When I was captain I realised that it's not just taking decisions on the field but off it as well. Those are quite stressful.

"Having been with the Indian team for such a long time and having had various experiences of not just conditions, but outside the cricket field, when you're a coach, you're not just coach on the field but also off it. You're trying to build personalities, trying to build leaders. That's how I'd like to look at this team. There is some wonderful talent, you need to make leaders out of them, try and understand what ticks them. It's not a quick fix, you have to understand and then take a call."

Kumble stated that working behind the scenes in a background role would suit him, citing Gary Kirsten's tenure as an example and also went on to hail the former India coach John Wright as an inspiration. "I played a lot under John Wright, he's been a great influence on how I'll go about, in terms of being in the background. When I became a mentor for Mumbai Indians, I brought John in because he understood a lot about Indian culture and then the way coaches work. So I'll pick his brain," he said.

"I was involved with Gary Kirsten only for the Test matches, (for) a very short period. He was, again, someone who worked in the background and didn't make himself visible. (That's) exactly how I'd like to work as well. Not in the front, but behind the scenes. The team comes first, the coaches play the background role, you are just trying to prepare the team for the best of their ability, for all conditions and all eventualities. You can't really plan for adversity, but to try to prepare the team to handle those adversities. That's exactly what we'll try and address."

The former leg-spinner is excited about his first series in charge, against the West Indies next month, and mentioned that he has already spoken to the Test skipper Virat Kohli. "We have the West Indies Test series coming up, so that's something our focus will be on. I've spoken to Virat [Kohli] and MS [Dhoni] must be on the flight back from Zimbabwe. It's nice to have a camp here in Bengaluru before we tour. We'll sit down and iron out and get ready for the West Indies tour.

Kumble stressed that his focus will be on bowling, which he feels is the most important aspect in winning Test matches. "Bowling, getting 20 wickets in Test cricket will win you matches. That's the focus and we'll take it from there. Batting, we have some great talent there. I believe this team has the potential. It's a young team and driven by young leaders. Looking forward to working with Virat and MS."

With former players like Rahul Dravid and Michael Hussey rejecting a chance to become the coach, considering the time they would have to devote away from their family, Kumble admitted that he took the 'major decision' after having a lengthy discussion with his family. "I had a long chat with the family, 18 years on the road, they've taken the stress and the burden. My wife and kids have been really supportive. Not easy travelling again so that was a major decision. Once those two were clear, I put my hat in the ring.

"I felt it was the right time for me to get involved. I'm still fit enough to run around. It's a young team so I believe you have to get your hands dirty, you need to be with the players, train with them, be amongst them. If it was a senior team, you can sit back, strategise and address that. But as a young team, you need to be in the middle and that's something I can do at this stage," Kumble said.

© Cricbuzz

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