Calcutta, June 23: Anil Kumble, respected as a Gentleman among Players and admired for his abilities as a cricketer, has been empowered to take Team India to the next level.

A former captain, Kumble (45) is the current chairman of the International Cricket Council's cricket committee.

The Anurag Thakur-led board needs to be complimented for approving the recommendation of stalwarts Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and V.V.S. Laxman.

As Sachin is overseas, Sourav and Laxman played the major role in Kumble becoming the head coach.

Sourav is the president of the Cricket Association of Bengal and, so, is in Dharamsala for the board's working committee meeting tomorrow.

Having reached the picturesque venue a day earlier, Sourav was present for "consultations" before Kumble's appointment was made public at 6.05pm.

Actually, having asked the stalwarts to identify choice No. 1 (from 57 applicants), the board couldn't have bypassed the trio's pick.

During the years that he captained India, Sourav often chose Harbhajan Singh when he fielded one spinner in the XI.

Kumble, therefore, got deprived.

Years on, in a vastly different role, Sourav pitched for Kumble, a leader on and off the field.

By his own admission, back in 2005, Sourav "messed it up" when he persuaded the late Jagmohan Dalmiya to appoint Greg Chappell as the coach.

Surely, Sourav cannot get it wrong second time too.

One understands that Test captain Virat Kohli, who may soon lead India in the two remaining formats, also gave his thumbs-up.

Kohli's tweet certainly was enthusiastic with a capital E: "... Look forward to your tenure with us. Great things in store for Indian cricket with you."

It couldn't be confirmed whether the board sought the views of ODI and T20I captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni as well.

That Kumble looked to be the frontrunner was first reported by The Telegraph on June 21.

That he enjoyed a clear advantage was highlighted on June 22.

Kumble, however, has only been presented with a one-year contract, which is bound to place him under considerable pressure.

Ideally, the board should have given Kumble three years, subject to annual reviews.

The possibility of an assurance on an extension till the 2019 World Cup cannot be ruled out.

Twelve months isn't time enough to achieve all the goals, but India have a heavy calendar in 2016-17, with everything at home except the season-launching Test series in the West Indies.

Kumble starts with the four-match series there.

Fourteen years ago, Kumble was universally applauded for bowling with a broken jaw. That was in the Antigua Test, where he'll make his debut as the head coach next month.

Raising the bar came easy to Kumble. He'll expect something similar from his wards.

Ajay Shirke, the board secretary, had an explanation for the one-year appointment.

Shirke said: "Kumble is now transforming himself from being a great on the field to probably a great coach we expect him to be....

"This is a professional appointment and we want to be in a position to review if there is a need, but I am confident that we'll not have that need."

It couldn't have been easy for the stalwarts to overlook Ravi Shastri, but he'd shown that under his guidance, Team India could get so far (semi-finals in the World Cup and World T20) and, perhaps, no further.

Kumble has been a mentor, but never a coach, so the board has taken a bold step, which is not going to be criticised.

It's significant that Kumble is the third-most successful bowler in Test cricket, with each of the top three being spinners.

Right now, India's No.1 bowler is off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. More than the others, he stands to benefit from a head coach who has himself been a world-class match-winner.

India had been without a head coach ever since the end of Duncan Fletcher's contract in March 2015.

Shastri had, of course, been functioning as the head coach - even in the last seven months of the unimpressive Fletcher's tenure.

Designation-wise, Shastri was the team director. Kumble, in fact, had to overcome his challenge.

Shastri has been left in an embarrassing position, but a process was followed and he lost out.

However, Shastri must be thanked for having taken on a challenge at a difficult time (August 2014).

Known to be methodical in everything, Kumble's presentation before the stalwarts' panel, in the city on Tuesday, stood out.

The road map for the next level was in black and white. Precisely put.

Kumble brings plenty to the table, not just acumen related to battling over the 22 yards.

A qualified engineer, Kumble is passionate about wildlife, is an avid photographer and is a truly compelling speaker.

Kumble loves challenges, which puts him in complete sync with Virat. No wonder the Test captain is excited with the development.

Kumble's association with Tenvic (a sports education entity) has probably raised some questions. Shirke, for his part, made it clear there would be "no conflict of interest" when Kumble begins working with the Virats.