Before Anil Kumble stepped down as the Head Coach of Indian cricket team, there were reports that he had unrealistic expectations from the players and was also very strict, which resulted in the development of the untenable relation between him and India skipper Virat Kohli.
However, Wriddhiaman Saha, the member of the Indian Test team has denied all these reports and has said that Kumble was never strict with him,
“I did not feel that way. As a coach, he had to be strict in some way or the other. Some have felt he is strict, some have not. I have never felt that way under Anil Bhai,” Saha told reporters on during an interaction.
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On being asked to comment on the style of Ravi Shastri – Saha heaped praises on both the former Indian players but also revealed the difference between the two,
“Anil Bhai always wanted us to score big — 400,500 and 600 and felt that the opponent can be bowled out within 150-200. That’s not always possible. Ravi Bhai, on the other hand, always tells us to go for the kill. Go out there and hit the opponent out of the park. This is the only difference I could see. Rest, both spoke positive stuff. When Ravi Bhai was a director, he was aggressive. In his new stint, he seems to have become more involved,” he opined.
Saha played a key role behind the wickets during the series against Sri Lanka and showed his skills, leading with an example. The former cricketers in the commentary box were quite impressed with him Along with that; he also scored 99 runs with the bat at an average of 33.00 in three innings.
Saha’s form in past two years had already earned him a permanent place in the Test side, an example which saw the selectors dropping Parthiv Patel from the squad as soon as Saha was deemed fit. The move was quite surprising, as Patel performed well on his comeback and also led his team to Ranji Trophy win at the same time, by himself playing an innings of 143* in the final, but all that was not enough for him to replace the regular man.
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Saha concluded his talk with media by commenting on Indian skipper Virat Kohli, whom he called as an improved player,
“He is improving with time and his association with players has increased. We dine together and go for outings together. He is always mingling with us, which I see as a plus point in him.”
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