Anil Kumble responds to fans' questions on Twitter
It’s just been 12 days since Anil Kumble took charge as the Indian Cricket Team coach, but he has already grabbed plenty of headlines with what he has said and done since his appointment. Anil Kumble was chosen by the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) comprising of Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman & Sourav Ganguly over, most prominently, Ravi Shastri. In the days after his appointment, Kumble wasted no time in endearing himself to the team as he conducted a conditioning camp and various team bonding exercises in preparation for the upcoming tour of the West Indies.
Read: Anil Kumble reintroduces ‘buddy system’ Also: Full schedule of India’s upcoming tour of West Indies
The former leg spinner has been a very popular choice, having represented India for 18 years and having a distinguished career as India’s highest wicket taker in Tests and ODIs. It was no surprise then, that the BCCI went out of their way to get Anil Kumble to have an interaction with the fans. The social media platform Twitter was chosen and it caused plenty of waves when they tweeted this:
It was a memorable chat as Anil Kumble answered questions, mixing serious questions related to the team and personal ones about himself. He opens up talking about why he is nicknamed Jumbo, whether we will see him with a camera in the West Indies, what he thinks about Ravindra Jadeja and what his greatest challenge will be on coach of India.
Kumble answers the questions in a series of short videos, where he is quoted as saying “Navjot Singh Sidhu is the reason I got the name Jumbo. I once bowled a ball, that took off and he screamed ‘Jumbo-jet’, the Jet was lost but I have been called Jumbo ever since. On his greatest challenge as Indian cricket coach he said, “Consistency. It’s not going to be easy. We are playing 17 Tests in the next calendar year. It will be a challenge to keep them fresh and fit over the next year.”
The coach was looking sharp as he geared up to answer the fans’ questions:
On whether we will see him use his camera as Indian coach, as he was spotted using his camera quite often as a player:
According to him, who the best player was he bowled to in the nets, and who is the best player to bowl to currently:
What he thinks of ‘Sir Ravindra Jadeja’:
On what he is planning to do to improve India’s overseas Test record:
How the Indian players will come out of T20 mood and prepare for the Test season:
How he earned the nickname Jumbo:
One fan even asked him if enjoyed bunking classes and playing cricket, to which Anil Kumble responded in the most Anil Kumble of ways:
And, finally, what he thinks about working with the current Test captain Virat Kohli:
The coach certainly seems to be in a jovial mood ahead of the long tour of the West Indies. One can only hope that this positivity spreads through the dressing room and India have a good season.