Bengaluru: India’s most successful bowler and former Test captain Anil Kumble has thrown his hat into the ring for the post of chief coach.
The 45-year-old Kumble is one of the 57 applicants to have applied for the top job before the June 10 deadline.
"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," said a BCCI official on Monday.
Kumble's candidature makes it interesting as by sheer weight of his stature, he would be a few notches above former team director Ravi Shastri and chairman of selectors Sandeep Patil who are vying for Team India's head coach position.
“He has a towering personality and every member of this current team has huge respect for him," added the official.
The veteran leg spinner Kumble has mentored IPL teams Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians and is the third Karnataka player after J. Arun Kumar (batting coach) and Venkatesh Prasad (chief coach) for the job.
Kumble has 619 wickets from 132 Tests and 337 wickets in 271 ODIs, apart from 2506 Test match runs with an overseas hundred. He has also captained India for a year before retiring and is considered to be a credible voice in Indian cricket circles.
