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After former head coach Anil Kumble stepped down from his post on Tuesday, many felt that captain Virat Kohli finally had his way in the scheme of things, but if reports are to be believed, the skipper has also been warned to either perform or step down from the post.

“It has been given to understand that Kohli eventually had the veto power on the coach issue which pushed Kumble out of the team. Now that he has his way, he has to deliver as captain. Otherwise, he had it,” Times of India quoted a BCCI official as saying.

Team India had a brilliant run in the past few months, winning series against Australia, England, New Zealand and Bangladesh before reaching the finals of the Champions Trophy in England. However, despite the success, reports of a rift between Kohli and Kumble had started surfacing in the last couple of weeks before things turned way too ugly.

The BCCI had invited applications for the post of the new head coach around a month back before the Committee of Administrators endorsed an extension for the legendary leg-spinner till the end of the West Indies tour. However, Kumble, who had stated in his resignation that the relation between him and Kohli had become “untenable”, chose to step down without further controversies.

Under Kohli, the team has played just two limited-overs series, but managed to edge out victories in both of them. The loss in the Champions Trophy was thus the first in which Kohli failed as a captain but somewhere it eased out the process of Kumble’s exit.

Kohli, however, has numbers by his side. Before taking over the mantle from Dhoni as a full-time captain in the limited-overs format in January, Kohli had led India in 17 ODIs, and lost just three matches, including on his captaincy debut against Sri Lanka in Kingston.

India play a five-match ODI series and a one-off T20I against West Indies, starting June 23 and although it’s a major mismatch on paper, Kohli would know deep down that even a single failure would earn him a lot of flak.

Article Courtesy – The Hindustan Times

Virat Kohli, India skipper, has said he will not reveal details of the differences that led to Anil Kumble stepping down as team’s coach.

India captain Virat Kohli didn’t say in as many words but politely hinted that coach Anil Kumble’s decision to make public the differences between them broke an unwritten code that everyone must respect the sanctity of not revealing dressing room matters.

“I attended eleven press conferences in Champions Trophy and created a culture in the team wherein the sanctity of the dressing room was maintained,” he told a media conference at the team hotel on Thursday when asked if the situation could have been handled better.

“I tried to maintain that and the belief that whatever happens there (in the dressing room) stays there.”

It seemed the India skipper, who had been denying that there was any rift and had even alleged that journalists were concocting stories for a living, was let down by Kumble who chose to reveal his side of the story and the differences with the captain through social media.

“Anil bhai has expressed his views and taken a decision to step out. We all respect that decision. It is something that has happened right after the tournament.

“I always maintain whatever happens in the change room is sacred and is not to be expressed in public. But his opinion is there and we respect it,” said the India skipper.

Anil Kumble stepped down as coach on Tuesday, deciding not to travel with the team to the West Indies. He released a statement on Twitter, saying there were ‘untenable’ differences between him and Kohli.

Both Kumble and Kohli are strong personalities and the decision to pick certain players led to flare-ups, if talk doing the rounds is to be believed. There is also talk that Kumble being a strict disciplinarian didn’t go down well with Kohli who, though intense, is more outgoing.

This ODI series is happening right after the Champions Trophy and Kohli says coming to the West Indies is a welcome change as the atmosphere is always relaxed.

Focus on World Cup

However, a bigger task for him will be to prepare the team for World Cup 2019 all by himself now that Kumble is not there.

“I have great respect for him (Kumble) and there’s no taking away from him what he’s done for the team,” he said.

The India skipper confirmed that Ajinkya Rahane will open with Shikhar Dhawan in place of Rohit Sharma, who has been rested.

Confirming that the core of the team will remain the same for World Cup 2019, he said there will be slots up for grabs.

“You have to identify the 15 out of a pool of 25 and pick those who are performing and handling the pressure well. There is plenty of exciting talent and opportunities to prove and there’ll be slots up for the grabs.”

Article Courtesy – The Hindustan Times

India captain Virat Kohli, while speaking of the respect the team has for Anil Kumble’s achievements as a cricketer, has offered little about the events that led to Kumble’s resignation as head coach on Tuesday, three days before the start of the limited-overs series in the West Indies.

“Anil bhai has expressed his views and taken a decision to step out,” Kohli said at a media briefing in Port-of-Spain, where India play the first ODI against West Indies on Friday. “We all respect that decision. It is something that has happened right after the tournament (Champions Trophy).”

Even though he was pressed to reveal the differences with Kumble, Kohli maintained that he could not break the culture of not divulging dressing room details in public. “I’ve had 11 press conferences that have happened during the Champions Trophy… We have created a culture over the last three-four years that whatever happens in the change room, we’ve tried to maintain the sanctity of the change room throughout,” he said. “That is what the whole team believes in. For us that is paramount. I’ve always respected that and we have continued to maintain that as well.”

While stepping down as head coach Kumble spoke about the reservations Kohli had with him, but Kohli refused to be drawn into the issue. “It’s his opinion, his point of view which I respect,” Kohli said about Kumble, India’s leading wicket taker in Tests and ODIs, going public with the differences between the two. “I have total respect for him as a cricketer and what he has achieved for the nation. All the years that he has played. There’s no taking away that aspect of him at all. And we all respect him totally.”

On being asked whether Kumble’s approach affected the team (negatively), Kohli didn’t give a direct reply. “Like I said, for me what’s most important is to maintain the sanctity of the change room and what happens in the change room is something that’s very sacred and private to all of us, and something that I would not express in details in a public scenario. As I said, his point of view is out there and we respect that decision.”

Hours after resigning as India coach, Kumble said he had been informed for the first time on the same day by the BCCI that “the captain had reservations with my style and about my continuing as head coach”. Kumble, whose contract ended with the Champions Trophy but had been given an extension to take the team to the West Indies, termed his working relationship with Kohli ‘untenable’. He announced his resignation while the squad was flying to the Caribbean.

Two days before the Champions Trophy had kicked off in England, it emerged in the media that India captain Kohli had told BCCI officials that some players were uncomfortable with the “intimidating” style of Kumble’s man management. As a result, despite India’s success in Kumble’s year in charge, during which the team climbed to No.1 in the Test rankings, the board advertised for fresh interviews for the head coach’s position instead of extending his contract. Incidentally, Kumble did reapply for the job then.

Article Courtesy – Espncricinfo.com

 

Before the 1990s, India used to be accompanied by ad hoc team managers on a tour-wise basis. Bishan Singh Bedi’s appointment in 1990 signified the start of the transition from managers to having full-time coaches, with both terms being used interchangeably during his tenure. Abbas Ali Baig was next in line, accompanying India to Australia in 1991-92, after which they played the 1992 World Cup. Since then, India’s senior men’s teams have had a full-time coach, except in 2007 when Lalchand Rajput took charge as manager for a brief while.

Ajit Wadekar, 1992-96

Wadekar’s tenure marked the decisive shift from ad hoc team managers running Indian teams on a tour-wise basis to having a full-time coach who had a longer tenure. Over his four-year tenure, Wadekar forged a strong working relationship with captain Mohammad Azharuddin, and India dominated at home for the best part of this period. For 14 Tests between 1992 and 1994, India were unbeaten, including a 3-0 whitewash of a strong touring England side. They also tasted success in limited-overs cricket, even winning multi-nation tournaments like the Hero Cup. As with most sides before them, though, they struggled to replicate this success outside the subcontinent.

Sandeep Patil, 1996

Patil had been the coach of India A sides before this, and his appointment came around the time India embarked on their tour to England. It turned out to be a disastrous tour, and Patil duly got the sack at the end of it. He has gone on to have immensely successful stints with Kenya and Oman since, and was among the contenders to become India’s coach as recently as last year.

Madan Lal, 1996-97

Lal succeeded Patil, his team-mate from India’s 1983 World Cup-winning side, having coached the UAE side in the 1996 World Cup in the subcontinent. His tenure lasted a year, during which India beat Australia and South Africa at home across formats, before the nightmarish third Test on their tour of the West Indies, where they were bowled out for 81, chasing just 120 in the fourth innings. A few months hence, Lal’s stint came to an end.

Anshuman Gaekwad, 1997-99, 2000

Gaekwad had two separate stints as India coach, taking over in the Sachin Tendulkar era where he oversaw a period of transition, and later in the middle of the match-fixing saga, after Kapil Dev’s resignation, for a brief period while a permanent appointee was being finalised. Among India’s high points during his tenure were the Independence Cup triumph, a 2-1 home series win against Australia, Kumble’s 10-wicket haul against Pakistan to level the Test series at home, and a drawn ODI series in New Zealand. He came back at the request of the then BCCI president AC Muthiah, to take them to the final of the ICC Knockout in 2000, where they lost to the Kiwis in the final.

Kapil Dev, 1999-2000

Kapil’s short reign was a turbulent one, as his Test sides were whitewashed in Australia and against South Africa at home, preceded by a successful campaign against New Zealand in the second half of 1999. Sadly, his tenure would be remembered the most for its ending, as match-fixing allegations rocked the cricketing world following a 3-2 ODI series win against South Africa. Kapil himself was accused of throwing matches by former team-mate Manoj Prabhakar, and, following extreme pressure from multiple quarters, tendered his resignation.

John Wright, 2000-05

India’s first foreign coach was also among their longest serving, and in partnership with newly-appointed captain Sourav Ganguly steered Indian cricket from the depths of the match-fixing saga. For the first time in their cricketing history, India’s sides tasted consistent success in unfamiliar conditions outside the subcontinent, winning Tests in England and Australia, apart from their best World Cup run since 1983, as they reached the final in South Africa. Wright’s tenure will be remembered for the epic comeback against Australia in the 2001 Test series at home, and ODI and Test series wins on the tour to Pakistan in 2004. Eventually, India’s form dipped, and Wright was replaced by Greg Chappell in 2005.

Greg Chappell, 2005-07

Chappell’s brief but infamous tenure as India’s coach was pockmarked by his prolonged tussle which saw the ouster of Sourav Ganguly from the national side. India lost a Test series on their second tour to Pakistan in three years and came back to win the ODI series before tasting mixed results on their tour to South Africa, where they won a Test for the first time before slipping to a 2-1 series defeat. Eventually, a group-stage exit from the 2007 World Cup meant Chappell ended his association, deciding not to renew his contract with the board.

Gary Kirsten, 2007-11

Kirsten remains India’s only full-time coach to have taken them to a World Cup title. His partnership with MS Dhoni, along with his insistence on developing young talent that was fast coming through from the IPL and age-group formats, meant India went from strength to strength in these four years. Under his stewardship, India drew Test series in South Africa and Sri Lanka, made it to the finals of multi-nation tournaments including the Asia Cup, and in his own words, were “desperate to achieve greatness”. His hands-on approach gelled perfectly with Dhoni’s insistence on leaving match preparations to the coach. Kirsten eventually left on a high – one of the few Indian coaches to do so – deciding not to renew his contract after India lifted the 2011 World Cup.

Duncan Fletcher, 2011-15

Fletcher was at the helm as India suffered their ignominious 8-0 reversal across their tours of England and Australia in 2011 and 2011-12. India also lost a home series against England, before winning the Champions Trophy in a thrilling finish against the same opponents in 2013. After another Test drubbing in England a year later, the BCCI appointed Ravi Shastri as the Team Director, to complement Fletcher in the coaching department. The duo, along with newly-appointed assistants Sanjay Bangar, B Arun and R Sridhar, oversaw a period of revival, concluding with India’s semi-final run in the 2015 World Cup, after which Fletcher ended his association with Indian cricket.

Ravi Shastri, 2014-16

Shastri had taken up interim responsibilities in the past, and once again was back at the helm as the Team Director, even while Fletcher was still in charge, before taking up sole responsibility after the 2015 World Cup. During this phase, India came back from 1-0 down to win a Test series in Sri Lanka, beat South Africa 3-0 at home and in general showed consistent form across formats. The period also saw excellent results in T20s – they won the Asia Cup and beat Australia in Australia, before crashing out in the semi-final stage of the World T20 at home.

Anil Kumble, 2016-17

Kumble was a surprising appointment in some ways, ahead of Shastri, who was the other candidate in the fray. The Cricket Advisory Committee, comprising Tendulkar, Ganguly and VVS Laxman, went ahead and offered him a one-year contract as India’s head coach. During this period, India won a Test series in the West Indies and defeated all comers at home, losing only one Test out of 13 while beating New Zealand, England, Bangladesh and Australia. Before the Champions Trophy this year, reports surfaced about reservations that some senior players held about Kumble’s coaching style, which captain Virat Kohli was said to have described as “intimidating”. It ended with Kumble tendering his resignation on Tuesday night, as arguably the most successful coach Indian cricket has seen.

Srinath Sripath is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo – Article Courtesy – espncricinfo.com

How the Kohli-Kumble saga played out

A flare-up in the dressing room immediately after the Champions Trophy final may have been the last act of Anil Kumble’s tumultuous final weeks as India coach. According to insiders, Kumble, who stepped down as coach on Tuesday, gave a “dressing-down” to one of his players at The Oval on Sunday, moments after Pakistan had completed a 180-run win to seal the title.

Debriefings are part of the coach’s job and it was natural for Kumble to have been disappointed after the crushing defeat. But a BCCI official said his timing was not right.

“After the final he gave a big dressing-down to the player,” the official said. “There is a time for everything. Team has just lost. They are down. You come and [give the dressing down].”

Kumble was unavailable to comment on developments since Tuesday.

The morning after the final, when Kumble met the BCCI top brass, he was told of the reservations the players, including captain Virat Kohli, had with regards to his approach. In his parting note, which he released on Twitter on Tuesday, Kumble said it was the first time he had been told of these differences. Yet, others in the know insist that the relationship between Kohli and Kumble had become dysfunctional over the last few months.

On Tuesday, when the India squad left for the Caribbean to play a limited-overs series against West Indies, Kumble stayed back in London to participate in the ICC’s chief executives committee meeting, where he sat as chairman of the cricket committee. Although Kumble’s year-long contract ended with the Champions Trophy, the BCCI had given him an extension until the end of the West Indies series.

“Kumble had accepted to travel to the West Indies, but that was subject to resolving the differences,” the BCCI official said. The BCCI had even booked a room in his name in the team hotel in Trinidad, where India start the five-match ODI series on June 23. Kumble was meant to land on Thursday.

Kumble had been recommended by the BCCI’s three-man cricket advisory panel comprising Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman. Despite not having any formal coaching experience, the CAC felt Kumble had the right credentials for the job, and offered it to him ahead of candidates such as Ravi Shastri, who had been the India team director for two years.

Before the Champions Trophy, the BCCI decided to invite fresh applications instead of extending Kumble’s contract. The job was advertised the day India landed in England (May 25) to start their Champions Trophy campaign. Asked if he agreed with the BCCI’s decision, Kohli simply said the BCCI was following its usual processes. Later on, during the tournament, he denied any rift within the team, saying there were “no issues whatsoever”. BCCI secretary Amitabh Choudhary, meanwhile, said the friction between coach and players was solely in the “realms of imagination” of the media.

According to one of its officials, the BCCI had booked a room in the team hotel for Anil Kumble in Trinidad, where India start their five-match ODI series against West Indies © Getty ImagesOnly six applicants put forward their resume, one of them being Kumble himself. The CAC informed the BCCI that Kumble remained the frontrunner as his track record as coach had no blemish. The CAC was then asked to patch up the differences between Kumble and Kohli. Although the CAC met Kohli, it did not meet with Kumble.

In his meeting with the BCCI on Tuesday, Kumble said that since the CAC did not want to meet him he could not have been doing anything wrong. “Anil just did not budge,” the BCCI official said. “He said the CAC met Virat and did not meet me [Kumble], so I am the guy who is right.”

Kumble has never been shy of expressing his opinion, but the official said the last word in the dressing room has always belonged to the captain. Kumble, according to the official, was trying to “overstep” and that caused problems. “In the cricket construct it is the captain who takes the credit and the flak. Everybody else plays the supporting role. But Kumble wanted due credit.”

It is understood “multiple meetings” took place during the Champions Trophy to attempt to repair the relationship, but Kohli’s opinion had not changed when he met the BCCI separately on Monday. “There is no cricketing difference between the two. It has been a personality clash.”

Kumble and Kohli not wanting to reach out to each other to mend their differences may have widened the chasm between the pair over the past few months, culminating in the former opting to leave the job. The board official felt Kumble, being the senior, could have tried a little harder to reach out to Kohli. The official said being a prominent personality himself and having been in cricket for a long time, Kumble could have drawn on that experience to “handle personalities” in the dressing room.

In his statement, Kumble said he had made clear the distinction between the roles of coach and captain. “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,” he said. “I was surprised since I had always respected the role boundaries between captain and coach.”

Nagraj Gollapudi is a senior assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo – Article courtesy – espncrininfo.com

Anil Kumble’s decision to quit as the Indian cricket team coach came in the wake of reports claiming rifts between him and skipper Virat Kohli, and just two days after India’s embarrassing loss to Pakistan in the ICC Champions Trophy final.

Virat Kohli-led India did well under Anil Kumble in the past 12 months, winning Test series in the West Indies (2-0) before securing at victories at home against New Zealand (3-0), England (4-0), Bangladesh (1- 0) and Australia (2-1).

Anil Kumble stepped down as the head coach of the Indian cricket team, days before the limited-overs tour of the West Indies begins on June 23.

It has been learnt that Kumble’s decision came in the wake of reports claiming rifts between him and skipper Virat Kohli, and just two days after India’s embarrassing loss to Pakistan in the ICC Champions Trophy final.

His one year contract expired at the end of the Champions Trophy but he was given the option to travel with the team to the West Indies for the five ODIs and a solitary T20.

However, Kohli met the BCCI top brass along with Kumble in London before leaving for the West Indies on Tuesday. The meeting took place after the high-profile Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) communicated to the BCCI that it had failed resolve the differences between Kumble and Kohli.

Here’s the full-timeline of the Kohli-Kumble spat –

May 30: With just five days to go for the Champions Trophy 2017, reports emerge of trouble brewing between Kohli and Kumble, with the India skipper unhappy over Kumble’s functioning.

May 31: BCCI invite applications for the post of Indian cricket team coach after the end of Kumble’s one-year contract. Virender Sehwag Tom Moody, Richard Pybus, Doda Ganesh and Lalchand Rajput are some names to apply.

June 1: Amitabh Chaudhary, acting secretary of BCCI, dismisses rumors of spat between Kumble and Kohli, says, “I cannot see any smoke at all.”

June 3: Ahead of the Champions Trophy match against Pakistan, Kohli dismissed reports of a fight and took a swipe at the media.

June 12: Vinod Rai, the head of the Committee of Administrators, announces that he will continue as coach for the West Indies series but it is subject to acceptance by the former Indian leg-spinner.

June 13: The Cricket Advisory Committee, comprising of Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Sourav Ganguly tell both Kohli and Kumble to soften their stands and bury their differences to ensure a congenial atmosphere.

June 15: Reports emerge that Kohli will attend the Advisory Committee – BCCI meeting over coach issue.

June 17: Kohli reportedly expressed his “strong reservations” about head coach Anil Kumble in a meeting with the CAC in London that lasts close to one hour.

June 20: Kumble does not travel with team to the West Indies. Reports say that he is attending the ICC meeting in London on June 22 and 23.

June 20 (Evening): Anil Kumble withdraws from the post of Head Coach of the Indian Cricket Team.

Article Courtesy – Hindustan Times

A cricket team must function with both the coach and the captain having clearly defined roles. However, the Indian cricket team seemingly has only one true boss – the captain.

The falling out between Anil Kumble and Virat Kohli has led many to question the way the Indian cricket team is run.

If there’s one thing that has emerged from the Anil Kumble-Virat Kohli saga, it’s that, in Indian cricket, the captain is the undisputed boss. The team was enjoying a dream run, but the manner in which the coach was forced to step down, has left a bad taste in the mouth.

No wonder then that the response has been lukewarm to the BCCI’s advertisement inviting applications for the coach’s job. They have only one high-profile name – Virender Sehwag. But given how lucrative the post is, some will be tempted to put their reputation on the line. But experts feel it won’t be an easy job where the captain will be calling the shots.

“It has set a bad precedent, the next coach has to be very adjusting and careful,” Ajit Wadekar, the former India manager and captain, said. “You have to be on the same wavelength as the captain. If you miss that then there is bound to be misunderstanding. With a captain like Virat Kohli, you have to have a diplomatic approach,” said Wadekar, before adding that, “Indian cricket is the loser in this. Anil Kumble is a thinker and will always do what is best for the team.”

Another former India manager Madan Lal said, “The coach has to be goody-goody, he has to be in the good books of the captain or he will not survive. They need coaches who keep quiet; these things happen with every Indian coach. People like John Wright and Gary Kirsten never spoke a word, they basically handled the 13th, 14th and 15th players and didn’t touch others.”

India’s spin legend Erappali Prasanna sees no point in having a coach if he is not respected and the role is not defined. “If the captain is the boss and takes the whole responsibility, where’s the need of a coach. If the coach’s role is not defined and respected, don’t see the point in appointing a coach,” he said.

Sanjjeev K Samyal – Hindustan Times, Mumbai

 

Their interactions at the team nets notwithstanding, Anik Kumble and Virat Kohli were reportedly “hardly on talking terms” during the Champions Trophy.  Malhotra asked to highlight the environment in the dressing room

The BCCI has asked Indian team manager Kapil Malhotra to file his report on the ICC Champions Trophy, highlighting the environment in the dressing room in the context of the circumstances that have led to Anil Kumble’s resignation from the post of the Indian cricket team’s head coach.

While it is learnt that the BCCI CEO Rahul Johri has asked Malhotra to file his report, it is not known if he has been given a deadline, with the Board’s Special General Meeting to be held here in June 26, which will be preceded by meetings between the Committee of Administrators and the BCCI and its members on June 25.

Normally, a team manager’s report of a series would be mundane, to say the least. However, Malhotra’s observations are expected to throw light on the the relationship between Anil Kumble and Virat Kohli and the other players and the support staff.

His report, especially the parts regarding the goings on in the dressing room, the activity area in the ground and in the team hotel, could provide the Board and the CoA with crucial information.

Rumours are that Kohli and Kumble were “hardly on talking terms” right through the Champions Trophy. Sources who tracked the meeting between the BCCI officials Amitabh Choudhary, Rahul Johri and M.V. Sridhar, and Kohli and Kumble in London on Monday evening reported that it was “probably very fiery”.

As reported earlier, Malhotra, who was scheduled to return home after the Champions Trophy, has now been asked to travel to the West Indies as team manager, following a directive from the CoA.

The Committee had recently overturned the BCCI decision to name Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association secretary Milind Kanmadikar as team manager for the tour of the West Indies, deciding that Malhotra should continue in the role.

The CoA had also decided that the Board should soon invite applications for the post of a long-term professional manager.

A senior executive committee member of the Cricket Club of India, Malhotra had held the post when Ravi Shastri was the team director and Kohli was captain for the home Test series against South Africa in 2015.

But, after the 2016 ICC World Twenty20 in India, Gujarat’s Anil Patel was named manager for the long international season at home, before Malhotra — who appears to get along well with the team and the support staff — was reappointed manager for the Champions Trophy.

The BCCI had clearly not received any report from Patel, who held the post during the series against New Zealand, England, Bangladesh and Australia, suggesting Kohli might have had any reservations about Kumble’s style of functioning during that period.

G. Viswanath – Article courtesy – The Hindu

Anil Kumble resigned as Indian cricket team’s head coach on Tuesday. He said his ‘untenable’ relationship with captain Virat Kohli led to the decision.

Anil Kumble on Tuesday refused extension of his contract till the West Indies tour, citing Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli’s reservation over his ‘style’ of functioning

The BCCI top brass had an inkling that all was not well but they were taken aback when they came to know that captain Virat Kohli and chief coach Anil Kumble were not in talking terms for the “last six months”.

Another important thing that has come out in the open was that the Chief Advisory Committee, comprising Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman, also didn’t straightaway give the green light to Kumble’s extension.

“There had been reports that the CAC had okayed Kumble’s extension. They had okayed his extension but with a rider. They had said that Kumble should be retained provided all pending issues are resolved,” a senior BCCI official, who was present in London during the whole episode, told PTI.

Post the ICC Champions Trophy final, there were three separate meetings at the Indian team’s hotel.The first was where Kumble met the BCCI top brass and members of CAC followed by Kohli meeting them. 

The last and the most “eventful” meeting was when Kohli and Kumble were made to sit across the table. The talks failed completely as there was no communication.

“The two had stopped talking to each other since December when the England Test series got over. There were problems but it was like shocking that the two didn’t have any proper communication for the past six months. On Sunday evening after the final, they were made to sit across table and they both agreed that it’s not working out.”

When asked what was the problem, the source said: “When we spoke to Anil separately and specifically asked him if there’s any problem, he said he has ‘no problems with Virat’. He was also told about the specific areas where Kohli has reservations about his functioning, while Anil said these were non-issues.”

The official sounded helpless.

“Look, if one of the two protagonists feel that there are issues which seemed to be non-issue to the other one, only these two can then sort out. Once they sat across the table, both realised after coming out that it has gone beyond repair. Anil’s tickets were booked for Barbados. His wife was also supposed to join him but he knew it was over,” the official added.

Asked if he could be more specific, the official said: “Let’s put it that Virat felt that Anil is entering an area which was his domain. For Anil, who has been a decorated player and an India captain, he has his own beliefs and ideas but the final call always stays with the captain,” he said.

Article Courtesy – The Hindustan Times

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar came down heavily on reports suggesting that Anil Kumble was a hard taskmaster and that didn’t go down well with some of the Indian players. Speaking exclusively to NDTV on Tuesday, Gavaskar said, “So you want softies. You want somebody to just tell you, ‘ok boys, don’t practice today because you guys are not feeling well, ok take a holiday, go shopping’. You want that kind of a person. If somebody is a hard taskmaster and he has got you results like Anil Kumble has got over the last one year. If any of the players are complaining, I feel those players are the ones who should be left out of the team.”

Gavaskar minced no words. “Because honestly, what Anil Kumble has achieved for India as a player and what he has achieved for India over the last one year, has been nothing short of phenomenal. So I would rather not have Anil Kumble being maligned or being bad-mouthed as a hard taskmaster or his headmasterly approach for what I have been reading in the papers.

“But what this is sending a signal for the next coach is either bow down to what the players want you to do, otherwise you, like one of India’s cricket legends Anil Kumble, you will have to step down and that is a sad, sad, sad message,” added Gavaskar.

Asked about Kumble decision to step down and whether it meant Virat Kohli sent negative signals, Gavaskar said, “Once the CAC (the Cricket Advisory Committee) had given its ok, I would have thought that Anil would carry on. I have very little idea about the differences between the two (Kohli and Kumble), if at all there were any differences, but it is a sad day because he has been one of the greatest cricketers that India has produced and for him to not want to do the job for whatever reason, and perhaps he might come up with the reasons over the next couple of days but that is really sad for Indian cricket.”

Elaborating on the differences between the two, Gavaskar went on to add, “There will always be differences in a group of more than two or three people. That’s bound to happen when you are in a tense situation… India has won everything since the time Anil took over. I can’t see Kumble doing much wrong in one year and the only reason this kind of a day has come is clearly because there has to be something which didn’t quite gel in that group.”

As to who would take over as the next India coach, Gavaskar said,” I don’t know who will fill his shoes. Maybe for the moment in the West Indies, you will just have somebody like a Sanjay Bangar who is very well respected in the team to take over because it is a short trip but before India goes to Sri Lanka, the coach has to be appointed. It could well be Sanjay Bangar again, although he has not thrown his hat in the ring. Because he has got the experience of coaching. It is for the CAC to take a call on that.”

Article courtesy – ndtv.com