HORSES FOR COURSES: Coach Kumble’s mantra ahead of India’s long home season

AS INDIA looks forward to the commencement of its home season which comprises 13 Tests and several ODIs, India coach Anil Kumble has stated that he wants a good bench strength to deal with emergency situations.

The legendary spinner will be keeping a close eye on the fringe players with the mantra of ‘horses for courses’ while selecting a squad for a particular game. 

As reported by indianexpress, a source close to the BCCI stated,

“The idea is that our bench strength should be ready if and when there is an SOS call. India will be playing New Zealand, England, Bangladesh and Australia. It is a long season ahead and Kumble wants to identify players and to see which format they fit into, if not all. While the top players pick themselves, horses for courses will be his mantra when it comes to shuffling players around. It’s the roadmap for India during his tenure, and he’s very keen on taking this team forward.”

Sources reported that Kumble had earlier asked Rahul Dravid, MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and national selectors to pick and submit a probable team for all three formats of the game. India’s leading Test wicket-taker is confident that the team will improve if all the stakeholders work in tandem. 

“Kumble is sure that if the Indian team has to move forward, all stakeholders will have to work together. He can’t change things on his own. The Indian team has played good cricket at home but he wants to get different views on what is needed for them to do well overseas, like probably having more exposure trips for our bench strength.”