Anil Kumble anointed as Coach of the Year

Anil Kumble’s coaching stint with the Indian team would mostly be remembered for his heated altercation with Virat Kohli which eventually led to his resignation from the team. The situation worsened with the passage of time and things ended on an ugly note. However, the former Indian leg-spinner’s record as the head coach of the team can’t be dismissed either. India were on a roll while he was at the helm.

India decimated several oppositions under the tutelage of Anil Kumble and tasted success throughout his tenure. Recently, the leggie has been adjudged as the Coach of the Year at the Mahindra Scorpio Times of India Sports Awards (TOISA) powered by All-Out. The decision doesn’t spring a surprise bearing in mind Kumble’s successful campaign with the team.

Kumble’s stupendous record

Performances in 2017 have been taken into consideration for the award. The Men in Blue, under Kumble, held a record of 10-5-1 in 16 international games during the year. After their humiliating defeat against Australia in Pune, they stormed back to win the series by a margin of 2-1. Also, they comprehensively managed to beat Bangladesh in the one-off Test match in Hyderabad.

In One Day Internationals, India steamrolled England during their home-series in January. The series also marked Yuvraj Singh’s comeback to the Indian team. The team also reached the Final of the prestigious Champions Trophy, which they lost against Pakistan. Even in the T20 format they also managed to defeat England by 2-1. There were several other prominent names as the nominees for the award.

Stephen Constantine, the coach of the men’s football team, Harendra Singh, the coach of the women’s hockey team, Tushar Arothe, the coach of the Indian women’s cricket team and Pullela Gopichand, the national badminton coach were the other nominees. Gopichand was rewarded with the Mentor of the Year for his unparalleled services for Indian badminton.

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