5 aspects of Indian cricket that Anil Kumble should look to address immediately

The Board of Control for Cricket in India today announced former India leg-spinner Anil Kumble as the new Head Coach of India. Kumble will hold the post for 1 year.

Anurag Thakur, the board president and Ajay Shirke, the board secretary made this announcement in a press conference. The Bangalorean was picked by the Cricket Advisory Committee which consisted Sachin Tendulkar, Saurav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid.

Kumble who is India's leading wicket-taker in Test matches was chosen over Ravi Shastri in what had become a two-horse race towards the end. He will join the Indian team as they leave for the West Indies. The cricket series will see India play four Tests in the seven-week long campaign.

However, there are a lot of challenges that face Kumble as he takes charge of the Indian team.

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#1 Improving the overseas record in Test Matches

It has been learnt that Kumble impressed his erstwhile colleagues in the CAC with his vision for the Indian team going forward, especially overseas. This helped him jump way ahead of the existing competition.

Apart from 2-1 series win against Sri Lanka in the previous year, India have been appalling in all other away tours. The team lost to England and Australia, and then to New Zealand and South Africa. This prompted the resignation of MS Dhoni as the test skipper and Virat Kohli assumed charge.

As a veteran and as a part of a successful outfit under Saurav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid, Kumble chalked out his plans to improve this record, and hence the tour to West Indies becomes very crucial to his tenure.

#2 Building a rapport with the skippers

How long will India continue with the split captaincy? MS Dhoni is past his prime and Virat Kohli has entered what many believe to be his purple patch. The onus then lies firmly with Kumble as to how he changes his approach according to the captains.

While Dhoni has played with Kumble and was his vice-captain, Kohli is certainly an unknown commodity as a skipper for the new appointee. He played along with Kohli for the Royal Challengers Bangalore, but so much water has passed under the bridge ever since, that it the equation will have to be built once again.

With Dhoni slowly fading, and Kohli assuming prominence, the role of Kumble to manage the transformation will assume great significance.

#3 Giving the players a long rope

The pressure that comes along with being an Indian player is immense. Every move is scrutinised and thus the failure is often magnified. Kumble, as a skipper believed in giving his players a longer rope and one hopes that he gives the players a longer duration to prove themselves and not shunt them out after few failures.

The fact that he has played for almost 20 years will hold him in good stead going forward. He knows the domestic structure very well and will be aware of the nitty-gritty of how the team will shape according to the roles.

He will also be aware of the replacements and this will allow him to make a more informed decision while picking or dropping players from the squad.

#4 The spinners role going ahead

There is no denying the fact that Anil Kumble is one of the greatest ever Indian spinner. Hence, it is but natural to expect that he will pass on the knowledge to the next generation of Indian spinners.

India play as many as 13 Test Matches at home this season and it goes without saying that if the results are to go in favour of the home team, the spinners will have to contribute greatly. This is where Kumble will be a major boost for the team, as there are few who worked out the psyche of opposition batsmen as a bowler and then responded accordingly.

Apart from Ravichandran Ashwin and to a certain extent Ravindra Jadeja, he has to find the next crop of young spinners who can serve Indian cricket for a long period.

#5 Champions Trophy 2017

The fact that Kumble has been given a one-year contract to begin with, it will too much to predict his influence of the 2019 World Cup. The immediate ICC assignment is the 2017 Champions Trophy and this is where the legendary leg-spinner can leave his impact.

India are the defending champions and would be under pressure going into the tournament. Kumble, who many believe to be an excellent man-manager can galvanise the team and extract the best of the players going into the crunch tournament.

During his tenure as the mentor of Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians he was hailed as a man with unflappable temperament, and this is what is needed when the backs are against the wall.