Cricketing legend Anil Kumble has had one of the most successful runs as coach in India’s cricketing history.
In the one year of his being India’s coach, India has lost only one Test out of the 17 they have played. India also became World No 1 in Test in October 2016 and continued to hold the position for six months.
But there was a growing dissatisfaction within the team against him. Some players did not like his ‘style’ even if it brought the best out of them. Even Captain Virat Kohli said that Kumble’s demeanour was overbearing.
However, it seems like it was BCCI officials encouraged Kohli to have a problem with Kumble. In his resignation letter, Kumble said, “I was informed for the first time yesterday (Tuesday) by the BCCI that the captain had reservations about my ‘style’ and about my continuing as the head coach.”
This proves that the animosity, if it exists, between Kohli and Kumble was allowed to develop over time - perhaps under the knowing eye of the BCCI.
Was Kohli not told that he needed to accept whoever the BCCI appoints as the coach? Or was Kohli given the feeling that his own feelings were paramount when it came to coaches?
It appears like BCCI officials did nothing to diffuse the situation between the captain and the coach. Instead, the BCCI allowed the players to deepen their dissatisfaction against the coach to the point of no return.
After all, Kumble quit because, as per his letter, he was told by the BCCI that the Captain was unhappy with him. Why should the BCCI ever make such a statement? Can they not measure Kumble's value without keeping Kohli's feelings in mind?
The only people who tried to bridge the gap were the Cricket Advisory Committee comprising of Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman. The trio is well-acquainted with Anil Kumble and his methods and thus know why Kumble is so important for the team at this moment.
But Kumble is a dignified man, and he probably realised that the situation would only get worse if he continued as the team’s head coach.
With Kumble’s resignation, the BCCI have pushed away a man who could’ve given the team strong direction, especially after the Champions Trophy debacle.