New Delhi: Spin legend Anil Kumble has emerged as one of the leading candidates to become India's next chief coach with a Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) official confirming the 45-year-old's candidature for the top job.
"Yes, Kumble has applied for the post and probably is the biggest name doing the rounds. His name in the mix makes it very interesting," the official told PTI on Monday.
After former Team Director Ravi Shastri and India's current chairman of selectors Sandeep Patil, Kumble is the third high-profile applicant for the job. The BCCI on Sunday confirmed that a total of 57 applications from both Indian and overseas candidates had been received before the June 10 deadline.
"He has been a mentor in both Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians. Mentors are basically extension of coaches and no one can doubt Anil's knowledge of the game. He has a towering personality and every member of this current team has huge respect for him," the unnamed official said about Kumble's credentials.
Anurag Thakur, BCCI new president, had indicated that a new coach will be appointed by the time India leave for the Caribbean tour in July.
Kumble is India's leading wicket taker Test and One-Day International cricket. He has 619 wickets from 132 Tests and 337 wickets in 271 ODIs, apart from 2506 Test match runs with an overseas hundred.
He retired from international cricket in November 2008, and became the chairman of International Cricket Council (ICC)'s cricket committee in October 2012.
He also captained India for a year before retiring and is a highly respected figure in Indian cricket circles.
