Rift Between Indian Skipper Kohli And Coach Kumble Shakes India:- Ahead of the team’s campaign to win a second straight Champions Trophy, the signs of a rift between India’s skipper Virat Kohli and Coach Anil Kumble have shook the country.
As India gets ready to launch their tournament against Pakistan in Birmingham on Sunday, the Indian media is abuzz with reports of differences between Kohli and Kumble over tactics and training.
With Kumble’s one-year contract ending this month, the Indian board’s move to advertise the job ahead of the 50-over showpiece event raised eyebrows. Yesterday, the deadline for the applications have ended. However, the batting legend Sunil Gavaskar believes the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was just following procedures.
Attempting to reassure fans, Gavaskar said an invitations for the applications did not reflect the tensions in the Kohli-Kumble relationship.
At the Aaj Tak Salaam cricket convention in London on Wednesday, Gavaskar said, “When the captain and the coach of any country are on the same page, you will never have a situation.”
The former captain added that, “It is impossible for that to happen, because the coach had played in the earlier generation and that is why the approach may be slightly different from the current generation.” “It might not be something actually happening on the field, but it could be something to do with practice sessions or team combinations.”
“I do not think that should be taken too seriously, because these discussions are healthy for the team.”
The cracks in the Kohli-Kumble relationship prompted the BCCI to hunt for a new coach, speculated the Indian news papers. The players were not happy with Kumble’s hard task-master approach, and during this year’s home series against Australia, the captain and the coach had several run-ins.
“Kohli, Kumble at loggerheads?” a headline in The Hindu read, and further added the report that Kumble’s proposal to field left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav in the third Australia Test in Ranchi set off trouble between the two.
Yadav was finally included in playing XI in the fourth and final Test, with Ajinkya Rahane leading the side in place of an injured Kohli.
Kumble, during the apparent tensions, since his appointment in June last year, had a brilliant run as coach, helping the Kohli-led side win all five Test series.
The first batsman to breach the 10,000-run mark in Tests, Gavaskar said “Kumble has done a very good job as coach. I am simply going by the results and when you go by the results of last year, you can say he has done nothing wrong.”
A lukewarm response has been received with the advertisement of the Indian coaching job, with few big names coming forward. The Times of India said for a new contract, Kumble is an automatic candidate. Australia’s Tom Moody and New Zealand’s Daniel Vettori were also being discussed.
SUPRAJA
