Anil Kumble will take his fighting spirit into his coaching: Glenn McGrath

Glenn McGrath, the former Australian pace ace, feels that choosing Anil Kumble as the India’s head coach was a great move. McGrath, who is currently in India at the MRF pace foundation as a part of the regular coaching camp, says Kumble attitude towards the game will be beneficial for the Indian team.

“I think it’s a great move. I have always believed bowlers are the smartest ones (laughs). Whether you are a batsman or a bowler, you have to be a good man-manager. I think Anil has been there for a long time in the game, and I am sure he would do a very good job as coach of the Indian team.

“I haven’t seen him as a coach, but as a player Anil was a fighter who wouldn’t give an inch, and he would take the same attitude into his coaching as well.”

Anil Kumble’s first assignment as a head coach will be the West Indies tour. The wickets there have changed over the years and are now slow and low character wise. McGrath feels that this factor will make the Indian pacers feel like home.

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“The wickets in West Indies are a little different to what they used to be earlier. They are more like Indian wickets, and I am sure the Indian bowlers would do just fine. The current Indian bowling unit has played around the world and knows how to adjust to the conditions.”

Australia are also currently preparing to play Sri Lanka in their own turf. The Aussies will tour Sri Lanka in July and August. The conditions in Sri Lanka are also quite challenging with the heat and humid factor set to test the tourists.

But, some of the Australian bowlers such as Jackson Bird, Steve O’Keefe have already been preparing to counter the Sri Lankan conditions by spending time at the foundation and McGrath, who is the director of MRF Pace Foundation, reckons that it’s an ideal preparation for the upcoming Sri Lanka tour.

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“Without a doubt! I feel conditions in Australia at the moment are fairly cold. So, it’s a smart move to come out here and practise in conditions where the humidity and the temperature too is on the higher side. These are the conditions that they would get in Sri Lanka, and I feel this is a good preparation for that.”

“It’s an issue not just for the Australian team, but for a lot of other teams as well. They play well in their home conditions and not so when they travel abroad. When England go to Australia, they get belted and the same happens when we go to England. Touring and being able to play in different conditions have been an issue for the Australian side, but I am sure we should be able to make amends starting from the series against Sri Lanka.”

McGrath also gave his opinion regarding the day-night version of test matches. The ‘pink ball’ cricket is slowly spreading its root in major cricket playing countries ever since it made its debut I 2015 in Australia. One major point which everyone noticed was the advantage pink ball gave to the bowlers. The ball has shown its ability to swing massively which loads the equation more in the favour of the ball.

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Talking about the Pink ball, McGrath says, “I think they have got some work to do to get things right (and bring parity between bat and ball). Last year, the day & night Test match in Adelaide was a success. But, they have a few issues to iron out which I am sure will be done so in due course. I feel the concept of day & night Tests is really good as it will bring in the crowds. We have got to keep Test cricket going as players across the world look to play the oldest format of the game for their respective countries.”