The first meeting between newly appointed national team coach Gary Kirsten, Test skipper Anil Kumble and a few cricket Board officials was held on Tuesday at the BCCI headquarters here.
MUMBAI: The first meeting between newly appointed national team coach Gary Kirsten, Test skipper Anil Kumble and a few cricket Board officials was held on Tuesday at the BCCI headquarters here.
Kirsten and Kumble had a two-hour meeting with BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah, treasurer N Srinivasan and Prof Ratnakar Shetty (Board's Chief Administrative Officer) before adjourning for lunch.
Neither Kirsten nor Kumble spoke to the waiting mediapersons when they broke for lunch.
According to BCCI sources the focus of the meeting was to discuss with Kirsten his plans on how to take the Indian team forward.
Kirsten is taking over formally as the coach from March 1.
The high-profile post has been lying vacant for more than 10 months after the previous incumbent, former Australian captain Greg Chappell, chose not to seek a renewal of his contract with the BCCI in the aftermath of the Indian team's disastrous outing in the World Cup in the West Indies in March, 2007.
The Indian team, in the interim period, has been helped by former Test players Ravi Shastri, Chandu Borde, Lalchand Rajput and Chetan Chauhan as cricket managers.
Former South African batsman Kirsten has already met members of the Indian team at Perth during the Test series Down Under as a consultant.
He had a preliminary meeting with Shah and Shetty on Monday after arriving here
The presence of Kumble at Tuesday's deliberations was a clear indication that he is expected to continue at the helm of the Test team during the three-Test home series against South Africa starting March 26.
The ace leg spinner took over as Test captain from his statemate and India teammate Rahul Dravid stepped down from the hot seat despite leading the Indian team to a rare overseas victory over England, after a gap of 20 years.
Kumble led the team to victory in the home rubber against arch-rivals Pakistan and impressed one and all with his leadership role in the controversy-ridden four-match series Down Under.
He also became the first Indian captain to score a win at the WACA ground in Perth, considered to be a very difficult proposition, though the series was lost 1-2.
The champion Bangalore bowler's appointment as captain for the home rubber against the Proteas seems to be a mere formality ahead of the selectors' meeting to pick the first Test squad, tentatively scheduled to be held on March 10.
South Africa are to play three Tests against India, at Chennai (March 26-30), Ahmedabad (April 3-7) and Kanpur (April 11-15.
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