Reports: Kohli and Kumble had stopped communication six months ago

What’s the story?

Media reports have emerged stating that India captain Virat Kohli and former coach Anil Kumble had stopped all forms of communication post the England Test series that concluded in December.

It has also been revealed that the Cricket Advisory Committee comprising of Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman had put forth a condition before extending Kumble’s contract as India coach.

Zee News has reported that there were three separate meetings post the Champions Trophy 2017 final, wherein India surrendered their crown to arch-rivals Pakistan.

“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 at the team hotel in London during the tournament told PTI.

The first of the said meetings was between Kumble and the top hierarchy of the BCCI wherein Kumble was categorically asked if he indeed had differences with the captain of the team.

Thereafter, Kohli was asked the same in a separate meeting, and finally, Kohli and Kumble were made to sit face-to-face and were urged to sort out whatever differences that they had.

“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,” the official said.

“On Sunday evening after the final, they were made to sit across the table and they both agreed that it's not working out.”

In case you didn’t know...

Anil Kumble resigned as the head coach of the Indian cricket team yesterday, thereby confirming the reports of a rift between the captain and the coach of the Indian team.

In an emotional letter published across social media platforms, Kumble referred to the “reservations that the captain had regarding his coaching style” as the predominant reason behind him calling it a day.

Details

The official expressed disappointment at the way the relationship had been damaged to a point of no return.

When asked as to what exactly went wrong between the two professionals, the official quirked, “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.”

Emphasizing that the issues could have been solved only by the two individuals around whom they were centered, the official mentioned that after the one-on-one meeting both Kohli and Kumble knew that there was no way forward.

“Look, if one of the two protagonists feel that there are issues which seemed to be a non-issue to the other one, only these two can then sort out. Once they sat across the table, both realized 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.”

Much had been made out of Kumble’s image as a ‘strict disciplinarian’ and there were reports that his method of coaching was too ‘imposing’ for some of the players.

Shedding some light on this aspect, 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.”

What’s next?

The BCCI have now revealed that the next India coach would be picked ahead of the team’s tour to Sri Lanka in July-August and that the team would play the West Indies under the tutelage of MV Sridhar, who has been appointed as GM – cricket operations to supervise the team management.

Sanjay Bangar, the batting coach, and R Sridhar, the fielding coach have accompanied the team to the Caribbean and would be present in their respective capacities.

Author’s take

The hullabaloo, the controversy, and the blame-gaming aside, if these reports are to be believed, then the pertinent question to be asked here is why were two individuals with such a long communication gap allowed to forcefully exist without the attempts at a mediation.

Who’s to blame for this development is a debate that wouldn’t be settled anytime soon, but the manner in which a legend like Kumble had to be the one to walk away after a successful stint as the coach of the team does invite discussion.

However, neither has Kumble asked for any kind of sympathy nor do Kohli’s actions of sticking to his opinion invite criticism. It was a case of two individuals just not getting along with one another and one man decided to walk away before the confrontation got ugly.

It could have been Kohli instead of Kumble if the former had chosen to step down from captaincy, and yet the conclusion would have remained unchanged. There are talks of a captain and a coach resolving differences for the betterment of the team, but that’s exactly what has happened here.

Kumble has resolved it by walking away.