Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli along with Anil Kumble. PTIFrom a distance it looked the perfect arrangement - two fiercely motivated individuals working in tandem to drive Indian cricket forward. But just as the divorce news of a so-called perfect couple shocks you, the fallout between Indian captain Virat Kohli and head coach Anil Kumble has had the same effect on the Indian cricket lovers who marveled at the professionalism of both.
Kumble's exit sends out a wrong signal, says Gavaskar
Yes, we all knew it was not all hunky-dory once the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) sought applications for the head coach's post just before the commencement of Champions Trophy.
But the general belief was that the difference of opinion between Kohli and Kumble could be sorted out and the onus was on the BCCI Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) comprising legends Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and V.V.S. Laxman. The trio had picked Kumble ahead of Ravi Shastri on a one-year term and Kumble's excellent results meant it was tough to overlook him.
A mystery
What exactly caused the split remains a mystery and only Kohli, Kumble and the Indian players know the truth. Media reports of Kumble being too tough on the players and acting like a headmaster are hard to believe for having played for India with distinction for close to two decades, the former leg-spinner would have known how to treat grown-men pursuing a high-pressure profession.
In the end, Kumble made the right choice to quit as there was no point in boarding the flight to the West Indies with a captain who had lost faith in him. At the end of the day, despite all the hype around the coach, the role of a coach in a cricket team is nothing compared to the job of the captain. Unlike football, where the manager calls the shots, a cricket team coach's job is limited to man-management skills, strategies and sending out messages to the captain. It's the captain who is the boss and rightly so, for he is accountable for the team's performance and under greater pressure than any of his teammates and the coach.
The fallout between Virat Kohli and Anil Kumble has come as a shock to the Indian cricket lovers who marveled at the professionalism of both. PTIEver the gentleman that he is, Kumble has parted ways with the team after making it clear that he never crossed the limits of a coach.
The new coach will have a big role to take the players along with him as India embarks on tough tours and gets ready to regain the ICC World Cup in a couple of years' time. Indian players have always relished coaches who have remained in the background and made them feel at home. John Wright and Gary Kirsten are two classic cases and these two knew when to crack the whip too. The experiment with an authoritarian like Greg Chappell was a disaster to say the least.
Team India coach: with Kumble out of the race, BCCI invites more applications
Even as the BCCI has sought more applications for the coach's post in addition to the five candidates - Virender Sehwag, Richard Pybus, Tom Moody, Lalchand Rajput and Dodda Ganesh - it is interesting to note none of the major cricket nations have hired the services of an Indian as a head coach.
For all their exploits on the field, the general belief is that when it comes to picking a coach, go for a non-Indian. That could well be the key for the CAC too!
