Basseterre (St Kitts): Courtney Walsh, former captain of West Indies test team on Sunday hailed BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) for the appointing former Indian cricketer Anil Kumble as the chief coach and termed the leg-spinner as someone who has “his heart in right place”.
“I think it is a very good move. He is a very well respected person, and someone who is involved with the ICC as well,” Walsh, who has 519 Test and 227 ODI wickets, said.
Walsh, who is also a national selector, was present in St Kitts to watch the warm-up games and was seen enjoying dinner with the Indian coach. “He (Kumble) has always wanted to contribute and give something back to cricket and his heart is in the right place. I am sure he will do everything in his power to ensure that Indian cricket stays at the top or even gets better,” said Walsh.
“At the same time, I think he will help build the game further, and to me that is the bigger picture. Sure he wants the Indian team to be number one, but he will not look after them alone. He is someone who wants to sort out Test cricket and the health of international cricket is at the top of his list as well. Having someone like him giving an input at the international level will be great,” he added.
What makes Kumble special according to Walsh is his ability to command respect. “They will have immense respect for him because they will have seen him play all those years. Plus, Kumble has been involved with cricket quite a lot since he stopped playing and he knows the ins and outs of the current-day game.
“His passion is second to none, and it reflects in the way they are led by Captain Virat Kohli. I like to read body language and you can tell they want to play good cricket, and that this series will be a good one,” said the West Indies selector.
(With inputs from PTI)
