Former India coach Anil Kumble talks about his 'headmaster' tag

Courtesy: Reuters

New Delhi: Former Team India head coach Anil Kumble, who made his first public appearance since his acrimonious exit in June, spoke his mind during a high-profile interaction with Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella on Tuesday.

When Nadella asked Kumble about the values he inherited from his parents, Kumble said, "The self-belief. It comes from the values that you inculcate, looking up to your parents and grandparents."

"My grandfather was a headmaster in school and I know that term (headmaster) kept coming back to me later in my career. Some of them here will understand (what I am talking about)," said Kumble.

Kumble, who earned the reputation of a hard taskmaster, quit under controversial circumstances, citing his untenable relationship with Team India skipper Virat Kohli.

Since then, India's leading wicket-taker has maintained silence on the issue and so has Kohli.

There had been jibes that Kumble had behaved like a 'headmaster' that had suffocated some of the players.

Kumble said the Australia tour in 2003-04, when India managed to draw the four-Test series, was the time he faced the challenge of reinventing himself.

"As a cricketer, you have to hit refresh literally at the end of every series. Challenges from one series to another are different. But I would like to mention the Australia tour in 2003-04 when I was at the crossroads of my career."

"I was competing for a place in the eleven (with Harbhajan Singh). People had started talking about my retirement as I was in my 30s. I got an opportunity in the Adelaide Test which we famously won."

"I was expensive on day one but came back to take a five-wicket haul. I understood the need of doing something different. So I started bowling a different type of googly, something I had learnt during my tennis ball days. That is when I realised I can make subtle changes to improve my game."