Feature
Anil Kumble steps down as head coach of Indian team
Mumbai: Head coach of Indian cricket team Anil Kumble was today stepped down from his post over a rift with skipper Virat Kohli.
After acknowledging the rift with captain of ‘Men-In-Blue’, legendary leg-spinner Anil Kumble on Tuesday decided against continuing in his post as the head coach of the Indian cricket team.
In a statement posted on his Twitter handle, Kumble said that the partnership with the captain was “untenable”, and also clarified that it was only a day before that he got to know through the BCCI that Kohli had reservations with his ‘style’ and his continual as the head coach.
“I am honoured by the confidence reposed in me by the CAC, in asking me to continue as head coach. The credit for the achievements of the last one year goes to the captain, the entire team, coaching and support staff,” Kumble said. “Post this intimation, I was informed for the first time yesterday by the BCCI that the captain had reservations with my ‘style’ and about my continuing as the head coach.”
“I was surprised since I have always respected the role boundaries between captain and coach. Though the BCCI attempted to resolve the misunderstandings between the captain and me, it was apparent that the partnership was untenable, and I therefore believe it is best for me to move on,” he added.
The 46-year-old, who was put in charge last June, went on to add that he brought to the table professionalism, discipline, commitment, honesty, complementary skills and diverse views. He also stated that coaching role for him was like ‘holding a mirror’ to drive self-improvement in the team’s interest.
“Professionalism, discipline, commitment, honesty, complementary skills and diverse views are the key traits I bring to the table. These need to be valued for the partnership to be effective,” he said.
“I see the coach’s role akin to ‘holding a mirror’ to drive self-improvement in the team’s interest. In light of these ‘reservations’ I believe it is best I hand over this responsibility to whomever the CAC and BCCI deem fit,” he added.
Anil Kumble steps down from post of head coach of Indian cricket team:
Kumble also thanked the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Cricket Advisory Committee (CA) comprising his former teammates Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and V.V.S. Laxman for giving him the opportunity to serve the game.
“Let me reiterate that it has been an absolute privilege to have served as head coach for the last one year. I thank the CAC, BCCI, CoA and all concerned. I also wish to thank the innumerable followers and fans of Indian cricket for their continued support. I will remain a well-wisher of the great cricketing tradition of my country forever,” he signed up.
Kumble’s one year contract expired at the end of the ICC Champions Trophy but he was given the option to travel with the team to the West Indies for the limited overs series beginning on Friday.
While the team left for the Caribbean earlier on Tuesday, Kumble did not accompany the team raising doubts over his continuance as the head coach. Kumble decided to stay back in London for the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) ‘Annual Conference’ as he is the chairman of the Cricket Committee while the Indian team boarded the flight to Barbados.
Earlier, this month amidst reports of a rift between Kumble and Kohli, the BCCI had invited fresh applications for the post of head coach days before the start of Champions Trophy.
Kumble was a direct entry into the coach selection process while the others who applied for the post were Virender Sehwag, Tom Moody, Richard Pybus and Lalchand Rajput among others.
The BCCI had earlier on Tuesday confirmed about Kumble’s withdrawal from the top job and deputed M.V. Sridhar to supervise the team management for the Windies tour.
The State Scores Extra High on Gaming-Friendly Industry Index
Meghalaya scored 92.85 out of 100 possible points in a Gaming Industry Index and proved to be India’s most gaming-friendly state following its recent profound legislation changes over the field allowing land-based and online gaming, including games of chance, under a licensing regime.
The index by the UK India Business Council (UKIBC) uses a scale of 0 to 100 to measure the level of legalisation on gambling and betting achieved by a state based on the scores over a set of seven different games – lottery, horse racing, betting on sports, poker, rummy, casino and fantasy sports
Starting from February last year, Meghalaya became the third state in India’s northeast to legalise gambling and betting after Sikkim and Nagaland. After consultations with the UKIBC, the state proceeded with the adoption of the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Act, 2021 and the nullification of the Meghalaya Prevention of Gambling Act, 1970. Subsequently in December, the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021 were notified and came into force.
All for the Tourists
The move to legalise and license various forms of offline and online betting and gambling in Meghalaya is aimed at boosting tourism and creating jobs, and altogether raising taxation revenues for the northeastern state. At the same time, the opportunities to bet and gamble legally will be reserved only for tourists and visitors.
“We came out with a Gaming Act and subsequently framed the Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021. The government will accordingly issue licenses to operate games of skill and chance, both online and offline,” said James P. K. Sangma, Meghalaya State Law and Taxation Minister speaking in the capital city of Shillong. “But the legalized gambling and gaming will only be for tourists and not residents of Meghalaya,” he continued.
To be allowed to play, tourists and people visiting the state for work or business purposes will have to prove their non-resident status by presenting appropriate documents, in a process similar to a bank KYC (Know Your Customer) procedure.
Meghalaya Reaches Out to a Vast Market
With 140 millions of people in India estimated to bet regularly on sports, and a total of 370 million desi bettors around prominent sporting events, as per data from one of the latest reports by Esse N Videri, Meghalaya is set to reach out and take a piece of a vast market.
Estimates on the financial value of India’s sports betting market, combined across all types of offline channels and online sports and cricket predictions and betting platforms, speak about amounts between $130 and $150 billion (roughly between ₹9.7 and ₹11.5 lakh crore).
Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Delhi are shown to deliver the highest number of bettors and Meghalaya can count on substantial tourists flow from their betting circles. The sports betting communities of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are also not to be underestimated.
Among the sports, cricket is most popular, registering 68 percent of the total bet count analyzed by Esse N Videri. Football takes second position with 11 percent of the bets, followed by betting on FIFA at 7 percent and on eCricket at 5 percent. The last position in the Top 5 of popular sports for betting in India is taken by tennis with 3 percent of the bet count.
Local Citizens will Still have Their Teer Betting
Meghalaya residents will still be permitted to participate in teer betting over arrow-shooting results. Teer is a traditional method of gambling, somewhat similar to a lottery draw, and held under the rules of the Meghalaya Regulation of the Game of Arrow Shooting and the Sale of Teer Tickets Act, 2018.
Teer includes bettors wagering on the number of arrows that reach the target which is placed about 50 meters away from a team of 20 archers positioned in a semicircle.
The archers shoot volleys of arrows at the target for ten minutes, and players place their bets choosing a number between 0 and 99 trying to guess the last two digits of the number of arrows that successfully pierce the target.
If, for example, the number of hits is 256, anyone who has bet on 56 wins an amount eight times bigger than their wager.
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