Kumble looks forward to give his plans shape

Anil Kumble has expressed his inclination to work with the Indian team that he hopes will buy into his plans for its progress, after being appointed India's coach.

Anil Kumble is ready to learn in his new job as India coach.

Anil Kumble has expressed his delight at being appointed coach of the Indian team, but has also admitted that the task ahead will not be simple.

“It's a great honour to be back in the Indian dressing room,” he said at his residence on Thursday evening. “I know it's a huge challenge, a huge responsibility. Obviously, there will be a lot of expectations. I'm really looking forward to contributing back to Indian cricket and I felt this was the right time for me to get involved.”

> Read: India's cricketing fraternity hail appointment of Kumble as India coach

Kumble was confident the current crop of players were capable of great deeds. “This is a very young team with a lot of potential,” he said. “They've shown in the recent past that they're capable of beating big sides. I have plans, I've laid out some blueprints, but at the end of it the team has to buy in and that's what I'm really looking forward to. I had a chat with Virat (Kohli). Once M. S. (Dhoni) returns from Zimbabwe, I'll have a chat with him as well.”

Kumble stated that he was prepared to roll his sleeves up. “As a coach of a young team, you need to be hands on and you need to really get your hands dirty. (You need to) train with them, and be with them more like an elder brother in every aspect, and not just on the field. I know all of these players; I've worked with a few of them, and played with a couple of them,” he said.

'Just a plan'

Kumble shed some light on the presentation he gave the Cricket Advisory Committee. “A lot of people have been talking about this presentation, but it's just a plan,” he laughed. “It needs inputs from other people as well. It's nice that now I'm coach of the national team, my long-time colleague Rahul (Dravid) is in charge of the Junior team, and the three advisors are people I've played a lot of cricket with.

"We have a good set of people. We can put together a proper plan for the next three years. I'm in charge for one year, but it's important to plan beyond that as well. And that's what I presented: a three-year plan which took care of the FTP as of today, the various challenges the team has, and how you address them.”

The 45-year-old may have 'mentored' Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians in the IPL, but international cricket, he admitted, would be a different kettle of fish. “It is very different. I will learn a lot. I know that coaching is very different from playing. I've realised that over the last five years. I've had some success and I've learnt from some of the mistakes as well. I'll use all those learnings.”

Kumble will meet the team when it assembles here for a camp on June 29 ahead of the West Indies tour.