Players will put the team ahead of any controversy, says Laxman

What’s the story?

Ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy 2017, India’s batting legend, VVS Laxman believes that Kohli and his men are set to go all guns blazing in order to defend the title and will have gained loads of confidence from the dominating performances in the warm-up games.

The 42-year-old feels that the Virat Kohli – Anil Kumble controversy will not impact the team’s Champions Trophy crusade.

”When you play for the country, all you want to do is go out there and give your best. You are representing a billion people, there is so much responsibility and expectations. All the distractions will be kept aside when the team walks onto the park,” said the former batting ace.

In case you didn’t know...

Several reports emerged earlier this week that cited alleged differences between India Coach Anil Kumble and players of the squad. It is alleged that neither the senior players nor the juniors are pleased with Kumble’s “overbearing” working style. Reports say that the players were not given a lot of freedom to put their thoughts forward and they have allegedly expressed their discontent to the Committee of Administrators (CoA).

And it is precisely this discontent that has purportedly prompted the BCCI to invite applications for the position of head coach position and even ask former players to apply for the same.

Meanwhile, Anil Kumble’s contract is set to terminate after the Champions Trophy concludes.

Also read: Reports: Anil Kumble leaked Team India’s conversations with media on WhatsApp

The heart of the matter

The rumblings have begun yet again in the corridors of the BCCI regarding the coach controversy and everyone is hoping that this shouldn’t adversely affect the Indian Team during their Champions Trophy campaign.

The batting star from Hyderabad strongly believes that the players will put the team and their responsibilities ahead of any distraction and will deliver in the upcoming ICC event.

Laxman feels that bowlers have to do well if India ought to retain the title and added that it is certainly hard to foretell who the winner is as there are other teams who stand equally strong and well balanced. He predicted Australia, England, South Africa and India to make it to the knockout stages of the tournament.

When asked about how the team played in the two warm-up games, the gritty right-handed batsman opined that most of the players are in good nick and both the batsmen and bowlers were impressive. He further added that the team’s approach was aggressive, positive and disciplined which is always good to see.

While talking about the spinners, Laxman claims that having skilful players such as Ravi Ashwin and Ravi Jadeja is of great luxury for the skipper. Even though the conditions may not assist them, the duo has a knack to peel-off wickets and also restrict the opposition’s run-rate. He then added that the squad consists of four quality pacers and an all-rounder in Hardik Pandya, hence the skipper can pick and choose the playing XI depending on the conditions and the opposition on that particular day.

On playing Pakistan in the ice-breaker, the 42-year-old opined that it’s always exciting to kick-off the tournament with a high-pressure game. He is assured that the Men in Blue will keep the right mindset, discard all distractions and focus on the task at hand while playing Pakistan or any opposition for that matter. Laxman’s mantra for the team to do well is to go out and express themselves and play their natural game.

What’s next?

The stage is well set-up – India, in their opening game, will be taking on Pakistan on 4^th June. India will be playing South Africa and Sri Lanka as well in the league stages. The decision of who will be the head coach for the Men’s Indian Cricket team till the ICC World Cup 2019 will be decided post the Champions Trophy.

Author’s Take

I keeping with the words of the legendary Laxman, I believe the team is well aware of their responsibilities and know what is at stake here. They look to be in great touch and the balance of the team is simply phenomenal which certainly raises the expectations.

What worries one is how things will turn out post the Champions Trophy. With the World Cup just a couple of years after the appointment of a new coach, we certainly hope the team remains united.