Asserting that the captain's role is more important than that of the coach, former Board of Control for Cricket in India President Anurag Thakur has called for skipper Virat Kohli being allowed full control over the Indian team.
Anil Kumble stepped down as India’s head coach at the end of the Champions Trophy earlier this month after acknowledging a rift with Kohli, who has refused to divulge just what led to the fallout.
While several former cricketers have come out in support of the legendary leg-spinner, Thakur defended Kohli and harked back to 2006-07 and the controversy between former India captain Sourav Ganguly and then coach Greg Chappell as an example.
"Right now, there is no better batsman than Virat in Indian cricket. If we have to maintain the current standards of the Indian team over the next 10 years, and even improve our performance levels, then we have to depend on Virat," he added.
Talking about the role of the coach, Thakur said:
Thakur, who was sacked as BCCI chief following the implementation of the recommendations of the Supreme Court-appointed Justice RM Lodha committee, also took a dig at the present dispensation over the issue.
Observing that such controversies never took place during his stint with the board, the current head of the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) alleged that the present BCCI management has "mishandled" the entire affair.
“As long as I was at the head of the BCCI, there were no controversies of this nature. We had conducted all our appointments in a transparent manner. The people running the BCCI at present should be asked why these things come into the public domain,” Thakur said.
(With inputs from IANS.)
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