Virat Kohli’s first big international tournament as captain and the news around the Indian camp for the Champions Trophy is not about the half-century he scored in Sunday’s warm-up game or the 45-run via D/L method.
Instead, the tensions within the dressing room have taken centre-stage, with India Today reporting that Virat Kohli and team are unhappy with “overbearing attitude” of coach Anil Kumble. Sources told India Today:
The players are unhappy with the fact that there was no freedom in the dressing room and insisted that the coach does enjoy cordial relations with the players. It appears Kumble does not enjoy the confidence of his players.
The news comes on the heels of the BCCI opening the application process for the Indian coach’s job, with Kumble being a “direct entry for the process”. The former spinner’s one-year contract with the team ends after the Champions Trophy this June.
Selection Call
A report in The Hindu adds that one of the major flashpoint between Kohli and Kumble was the team selection for the final Test against Australia in Dharamsala this March. Ajinkya Rahane was the stand-in skipper after Kohli injured his shoulder and Kumble pushed for the inclusion of Chinaman Kuldeep Yadav, without the knowledge of Virat who was reportedly left in the dark till the toss. The Hindu report also adds that Virat had earlier rejected Kumble’s idea of fielding Kuldeep in the third Test.
Virat however, on his part, has not publicly spoken out against Kumble. In fact, in his first press conference after landing in London, the Indian skipper was quizzed about BCCI opening the application procedure for the Indian coach - to which Kohli simply said the board was sticking to protocol.
Big 3 to Step In?
A report in Times of India adds that Virat had even approached former India captain Sourav Ganguly after the New Zealand game on Sunday and discussed the matter at length.
Ganguly and his BCCI advisory panel colleagues Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman are expected to step in and “broker peace between Kumble and Kohli’s men”.
The three-member team has also been given the responsibility of interviewing the candidates who apply for the coach’s job by the 31 May deadline.
BCCI’s Kumble Troubles
Virat Kohli and his Indian team however are not the only ones having trouble with Anil Kumble in-charge. Of late, Kumble has been aggressively campaigning for a drastic increase in salaries of both players and support-staff. At a recent presentation in Hyderabad, Kumble proposed a 150 percent hike in salaries of Grade A cricketers.
The BCCI, of course, not very big fans of the idea.
What Kumble has working for him however is the Indian team’s stellar record under him in the last year. In Tests, India won 10 out of the 13 home matches with two draws and a single defeat against Australia. Also under Kumble, India won a Test series comprehensively in the West Indies.
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