India have a new head coach and it is none other than their most successful bowler in both Tests and ODIs, Anil Kumble. His appointment has been welcomed by people from all over the cricketing fraternity and he will take charge of the Indian team when they tour to the West Indies next month.
While Kumble may be able to play a dual role of being the head coach as well as the bowling coach, he will certainly require some assistance on the batting front. As such, it becomes imperative for the BCCI to find an individual to take up the batting coach role in order to provide support to the 49-year old.
Here are 5 coaches who could fit the bill:
1. Pravin Amre
Former Indian cricketer Pravin Amre has managed to make a name for himself as a coach over the past few years. Between the years 1991 and 1994, Amre represented Team India in 11 Tests and 37 ODIs and also achieved the distinction of scoring a century on Test debut against South Africa.
The 47-year old has a wealth of coaching experience behind him and is currently a part of the Delhi Daredevils support staff. Apart from that, he coached a Under-19 World Cup winning Indian team in 2012 and also the Mumbai Ranji team.
Pravin Amre is also known for helping out a number of Indian batsmen like Ajinkya Rahane, Suresh Raina and Robin Uthappa in improving their technique. With so many success stories to back him up, Amre could be an ideal foil as batting coach to Anil Kumble.
2. Sanjay Bangar
Sanjay Bangar played the role of batting coach for India from August 2014 until the end of this year's ICC World Twenty20. During his tenure, the Indian batsmen performed quite decently and it is likely that the BCCI may want to extend him another run alongside new head coach Anil Kumble.
Other than his stint with Team India, Bangar has coached the India 'A' team and was also the batting coach of the defunct Kochi Tuskers Kerala franchise in the 2010 IPL. He served as assistant coach of the Kings XI Punjab team during their highly successful campaign in 2014 and got promoted to head coach later on.
The BCCI also trusted him with the role of interim coach for the tour of Zimbabwe and may want to stick with his services for at least another year so that he can assist Kumble.
3. Jagadeesh Arunkumar
Former Karnataka cricketer Jagadeesh Arunkumar is also among the coaches who could be a contender for the role of batting coach. Arunkumar had a pretty successful first-class career as a batsman and scored more than 7000 runs at a 40-plus average. Post his retirement from domestic cricket, he has spent a considerable amount of time in coaching.
Jagadeesh Arunkumar was the batting coach of the Karnataka side which won back-to-back Ranji Trophy titles in the 2013/14 and 2014/15 seasons. He has worked with cricketers like Manish Pandey, KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal and Karun Nair, all of whom have made it either to the senior team or the India 'A' team.Arunkumar has all the credentials to join Anil Kumble's support staff in the role of India's batting coach.
4. Woorkeri Raman
Woorkeri Raman is a former Indian cricketer who played for the country from the late 1980s to mid-1990s. He played 11 Tests and 27 ODI matches during the span of his career and was also an influential figure in the Tamil Nadu Ranji team with close to 8000 first-class runs. After retiring from all forms of cricket, Raman shifted his focus towards coaching.
The 51-year old is the present coach of the Tamil Nadu side and has also previously coached Bengal in the Ranji Trophy. In the 2013 IPL, he was one of the assistant coaches for Kings XI Punjab and later became a batting coach for the Kolkata Knight Riders.
With a successful coaching career to back him up, Woorkeri Raman may be a good choice to become India's batting coach under Anil Kumble.
5. Sitanshu Kotak
Former Saurashtra cricketer Sitanshu Kotak was playing for his state side until 2013 and was among their stellar performers. However, he got fast-tracked into a coaching role soon after he stopped playing domestic cricket. Since then, Kotak has held the position and enjoyed a pretty successful stint so far.
Recently, he also joined one of the new IPL franchises, Gujarat Lions, as an assistant coach and his team emerged as one of the best sides in the tournament. Sitanshu Kotak's recent success in the coaching roles may work in his favour and earn him a chance to serve alongside Anil Kumble as a batting coach.
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