Anil Kumble left the high-profile Ravi Shastri behind in the race that had boiled down to a two-man competition after 57 applications were received by the BCCI in response to the advertisement the board put out on June01,2016
Anil Kumble(45) was chosen by the BCCI's Cricket Advisory Committee that included former captains Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar and veteran batting star VVS Laxman. Former BCCI secretary and cricketer Sanjay Jagdale was the co-ordinator
Anil Kumble will take charge from India's upcoming four-Test series in the West Indies in July-August 2016
Anil Kumble, having played a lot of cricket with Ganguly, Tendulkar and Laxman, personally presented his case in Kolkata on Tuesday. Shastri did his case through video conferencing.
Anil Kumble - 132 Tests, 271 ODIs and 54 T20 Internationals wise - may not have been an unanimous choice considering the fact that Shastri was successful as team director and had a good rapport with Test captain Virat Kohli. A large section of the BCCI was also in favour of the former Mumbai star.
But then Kumble knows how to secure breakthroughs. He has done the star turn several times for India, including a historic 10-wicket haul against Pakistan at Kotla in February, 1999.
In 132 Tests, India's highest wicket-taker in the format has 619 sticks with a memorable best of 10 for 74 in the Delhi Test against Pakistan, which made him the only bowler after Jim Laker to claim all 10 in an innings. Besides, he claimed 35 five-wicket hauls and scored a hundred and five fifties in his Test career.
In the list of highest Test wicket-takers, Anil Kumble stands third behind Sri Lankan offspinner Muttiah Muralitharan (800) and Australia's leg-spin legend Shane Warne (708).
In 271 ODIs, Kumble took 337 wickets, with his famous 6 for 12 in the Hero Cup final against the West Indies etched in the memories of cricket fans.
Overall in first class cricket, Anil Kumble has 1136 wickets to his name.
The post of head coach had fallen with the expiry of Duncan Fletcher's contract at the end of the 2015 World Cup. Ravi Shastri had run the team as its director since the ODI series in England in August 2014. Shastri's contract expired after India bowed out at the semifinal stage of the World T20.
With Anil Kumble as Coach, Indian Cricket Now Run By 'Famous Five'
It was the start of a change that led to another welcome move when Rahul Dravid was offered the coaching role with India's Under-19 and A Teams.
Slowly but surely, the BCCI was getting India's core team back together - this time off the pitch, to not just guide the youngsters but have a major say in how the game should be run in the country.
With the appointment of Anil Kumble as new coach, the board's objective seems to be complete
The 'Fab Four' have become the 'Famous Five'.
Anil Kumble retired from the game in 2008, ending his 18-year international career with memorable moments - chiefly his 6 for 12 in the Hero Cup; the all-10 in the Delhi Test against Pakistan; and bowling with a broken, taped jaw in the Antigua Test in 2002.
Not to forget the leg-spin legend is India's leading and world's third best Test wicket-taker with 619 wickets in 132 Tests, only behind Muttiah Muralitharan (800) and Shane Warne (708).
Anil Kumble's retirement, in fact, signalled the change of guard in Indian cricket.
Sourav Ganguly (2008),Rahul Dravid (2012), V V S Laxman (2012) and Sachin Tendulkar (2013) followed over the next few years leaving a void that is hard to fill with similar powerhouses. More importantly, it's rare to have assembly of such talent playing together.
But the BCCI has ensured that the five top men of Indian cricket are back together to run the show
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