India have announced Anil Kumble as their new coach.

Kumble has been appointed the new head coach of the Indian cricket team on a one-year contract. He beat the likes of Ravi Shastri – who had been the interim coach since the post was vacated by Duncan Fletcher early last year. Australians Tom Moody and Stuart Law were also said to be in the running for the top post.

India’s long-standing search for a full-time head coach came to an end at the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) first annual conference in Dharamasala. The coach was picked by a panel that included Kumble’s former teammates Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman.

Kumble has no previous coaching experience and it comes as a shock amid reports that he was not on the original short-list of candidates for the job. His appointment follows after he made an impressive presentation to the panel.

Kumble is currently chairman of the International Cricket Council’s influential Cricket Committee. And a month ago had his chairmanship renewed until 2018.

The announcement comes ahead of India’s four-match Test series away to West Indies and a mammoth 13-Test home season that includes a mouth-watering match-up with Australia.

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