Arun Kumar, who was hired in early 2020, had to wait more than a year to actually preside over a match due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Over the past 16 months, his USA teams have produced a series of historic highs on the field. But they also faced setbacks. Lack of consistency ultimately contributed to Arun Kumar’s departure, which he acknowledged in his farewell statement.
“I am very grateful for my time as head coach of the USA Men’s National Team and will take with me many memories during my nearly three years in charge,” he said in a statement released by the board. ” “I am delighted with the team’s individual and collective progress throughout my time but also disappointed that we did not fulfill our chances of qualifying for the World Cup for the first time or performing more consistently in the Cricket World Cup League 2. Couldn’t.”
Arun Kumar initially earned a reputation as a player’s coach who was more of a man manager than an outspoken strategist. His influence helped restore confidence in veteran players like Malhotra, who was one of the first recalled players by Arun Kumar, who was dropped from the USA squad in 2019, and Monk Patel, who In 2021, Arun Kumar took over the captaincy of USA from Saurabh Netravalkar.
Arun Kumar’s tenure was also marked by giving a significant number of debuts to younger, often home-grown talent. But the vast majority have failed to successfully develop into USA regulars under his watch. Abhishek Pradkar, Sanjay Krishnamurthy, Kyle Phillippe, Yasir Mohammed, Rituk Behira, Vatsal Vaghela, Sai Munkla and Rahul Jariwala all made their ODI or T20I debuts for USA from 2021 onwards. Yet all but Munkla played a handful of games – the 18-year-old played eight ODIs – before being dropped as the USA management quickly reverted to the habit of prioritizing former foreign professionals.
USA Cricket has already started its recruitment process to find a replacement for Arun Kumar.
“Jack’s time began when the world was going through the biggest hardships of the Covid pandemic and his time in America was not easy in the early stages,” said USA Cricket Board Interim Chairman Atul Roy. “However, he has always conducted himself professionally and put the best interests of the team first and we would like to wish him all the best for the future.” [he] moves on to new coaching opportunities.”
