Greg Chappell hails Anil Kumble's appointment as coach of Indian cricket team

Australian batting legend Greg Chappell has hailed the appointment of Anil Kumble as the Indian cricket team's new coach. Chappell, who was the coach of the national side for two years between 2005 and 2007, had a turbulent relationship with then skipper Sourav Ganguly which led to the southpaw being removed as captain of the national team.

Chappell called Kumble the 'heart' to Rahul Dravid's 'soul' of the Indian team claiming that the leg-spinner's appointment is an inspired choice.

"Kumble has been around long enough to know that the captain is the critical component of any cricket team and that the coach's role is to support the captain to take the load off him to allow for personal preparation time in the lead up to games, but then take a back seat once the game begins," he wrote in his column for the Hindu newspaper.

"In cricket it is a joint venture off the field, but on the field, the captain must be boss and must be seen as the boss by his players or his authority will be undermined. Kumble knows this and will work closely with and support Virat without undermining him."

The 67-year-old who during his playing days was considered one of the best batsmen in the world, is not a fan of the way Indian cricketers train, blaming their attitude for India not reaching greater heights.

"If India had been blessed to have been surrounded by other selfless individuals whose only aim was the serve the team, the Indian teams in which they played would have been impossible to beat."

"Indian cricket has never reached the heights that it should because it has relied too much on natural ability and flair rather than diligent preparation. Too often in the past, Indian teams have tried to take short-cuts rather than hard work, so any success has been fleeting," he added.