As Kumble Resigns as India Coach, A Look at His Brilliant Tenure
As Anil Kumble steps down as India’s head coach, here’s a look at India’s performance in the past year.
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Anil Kumble has resigned from the post of India’s head coach on Tuesday, days before the ODI and T20 series against West Indies. The Men in Blue are set to take on the Caribbeans from 23 July.
The former India Test captain had a remarkable run as a head coach. He lost only one series (T20 series against West Indies) and was influential in India reaching the final of ICC Champions Trophy.
Kumble was appointed as team India’s head coach on 23 June last year. He has served out his one-year contract.
According to Cricinfo, the BCCI secretary Ajay Shirke's office had not added Kumble’s name in the 21 shortlisted candidates for the India coach job during the selection process last year. But then the Cricket Advisory Committee asked the BCCI for Kumble’s name to be added to the list.
And the rest, as they say is history!
As Kumble’s tenure as India’s head coach ends, here’s a look at all the competitions for which Kumble was the head coach.
1. India Thrash West Indies 2-0
The Anil Kumble-Virat Kohli partnership got off to a flier with a convincing 2-0 win over West Indies in the Carribean in July-August 2016.
With batsmen and bowlers firing on all cylinders, the Indian team clinched the first Test by an innings and 92 runs and the third Test by 237 runs.
The second and fourth Test were drawn due to rain intervals.
Virat Kohli was the top-scorer with 251 runs and Ravichandran Ashwin was the highest wicket-taker with 17 wickets.
2. West Indies Win T20 Series 1-0
West Indies clinched a thrilling one-run victory over India in the first T20 at Lauderhill in August 2016.
The Carribeans may have thought that they had the match in the bag after posting a mammoth 245/6 in 20 overs.
Little did they know that India would take the match to the wire. KL Rahul and MS Dhoni’s 107-run partnership reduced the equation to two runs off one ball to win for India.
But then, Dwayne Bravo managed to dismiss the then limited-overs skipper Dhoni in the last delivery of the match and help West Indies win.
India didn’t have a chance to square the series because the second T20 was rained out.
3. India Crush New Zealand 3-0
Next on India’s radar was Kane Williamson’s New Zealand team for a three-match Test series.
The Kiwis couldn’t even come close to being competitive during the entire series as they suffered defeats of 197 runs, 178 runs and 321 runs respectively.
Cheteshwar Pujara top-scored in the series with 373 runs and Ravichandran Ashwin was the pick of the bowlers yet again with 27 wickets.
4. Hard-Fought 3-2 Win vs New Zealand in ODI Series
After the Test series, the Kiwis began the ODI series with a disappointing six-wicket loss in October 2016.
Just when most fans had a feeling that New Zealand will crumble in the ODI series as well, the Kiwis bounced back with a six-run win in the next ODI.
The third and fourth ODI were taken by India and New Zealand respectively before Amit Mishra’s excellent figures of 5/18 helped India clinch the series 3-2 in the decider at Visakhapatnam.
New Zealand were all out for 79 runs, while chasing India’s 269/6.
5. India Rout England 4-0 in Test Series
Alastair Cook’s England team began the tour with a brilliant batting performance in the first Test at Rajkot in November 2016. They scored a whopping total of 537 during the first two days of the Test.
Eventually, India had their backs against the wall and managed to draw the Test.
But, thereafter, the Englishmen faded away. They suffered big losses of 246 runs, 8 wickets, an innings and 36 runs and an innings and 75 runs, and lost the series 4-0.
Kohli top-scored in the series with 655 runs and Ashwin topped the wickets tally with 28 wickets.
6. India Beat England 2-1 in ODI Series
India continued their excellent form into the ODI series as well. Virat Kohli was named captain for all three formats of the game just before the series and he started off with an innings of 122 runs from 105 balls.
The batting-heavy Indian team chased down England’s 350/7 in the first ODI and then set a target of 382 in the second ODI, winning both games by 3 wickets and 15 runs respectively.
India managed a 5-run consolation win in the third ODI.
7. India Clinch T20 Series 2-1 vs England
England wasn’t going to let go without a strong fight, so they bounced back with seven-wicket victory in the first T20.
The Three Lions were on the verge of winning the second T20 when they needed just 8 runs off the last over to win the match.
Then, Jasprit Bumrah picked up 2 wickets and conceded just 2 runs in the last over to hand India a five-run win.
In the third T20, India rode on Yuzvendra Chahal’s figures of 6/25 to win the match by 75 runs.
8. Clinical in Only Test vs Bangladesh
Bangladesh played their first-ever Test in India in February, but the home side showed no mercy.
They batted Bangladesh out of the game with a mammoth first innings total of 687/6d.
India bundled out their opponents for 388 and 250 runs in the first and second innings respectively and won the match by 208 runs.
9. India Hold Their Nerve vs Australia
After clinching four Test series in a row, India were expected to decimate the Australians as well. But the Baggy Greens had other ideas.
They stumped India in the first Test by bundling them out for less than 110 runs in both the innings and won the match by 333 runs.
Even in the second Test, India were almost down and out when they were all out for 189 runs in the first innings.
But, then the bowlers rose to the occasion and scrapped a 75-run win.
After the third Test was drawn, the bowlers took the matters into their own hands. They bundled Australia out for 137 in their second innings which helped India restrict Australia’s lead to just 105 runs.
India won the match comfortably by 8 wickets and the series 2-1.
10. Champions Trophy
Anil Kumble’s final assignment was the ICC Champions Trophy. The defending champions started the tournament on a high by beating Pakistan by 124 runs (D/L method), then they had a blimp against Sri Lanka (lost by 7 wickets).
In the do-or-die match against South Africa, India put up a clinical performance and won by 8 wickets and then beat Bangladesh by 9 wickets in the semi-final.
But, in the final frontier against Pakistan, India succumbed in a 180-run loss.
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