The Story:
Former Australia skipper Ian Chappell has said Anil Kumble’s acrimonious exit as Team India coach is not surprising.
Virat Kohli & Co. had done exceedingly well in all the formats since Kumble took charge in June last year. Under him, India reached the pinnacle of the ICC Test rankings, after winning series against West Indies, New Zealand, England, Australia and Bangladesh at home. He also guided the team to the limited-over series win over New Zealand and England in addition to the runners-up finish in the just-concluded ICC Champions Trophy 2017.
However, Kumble’s spell with the team came to a bitter end when he decided to step down, citing captain Virat Kohli’s reservations over his coaching style, thus bringing an end to the episode that had begun with reports of an alleged rift between him and Kohli.
‘Kumble A Strong-Minded Individual’
Chappell feels Kumble walking away was of ‘no great surprise’ since he is a strong-minded person.
“Kumble’s resignation was no great surprise, as he’s a strong-minded individual and the deteriorating relationship between him and the captain, Virat Kohli, had reached the stage of being a distraction,” Chappell said in his column for Espn Cricinfo.
The Captain Is The Main Man:
Although Chappell agreed with Kumble’s decision to walk away, he said that the captain is ultimately the man responsible for running an international team.
“Kumble’s character is relevant to any discussion about India’s future coaching appointments. The captain is the only person who can run an international cricket team properly because so much of the job involves on-field decision making.
“Also, a good part of the leadership role – performed off the field – has to be handled by the captain, as it helps him earn the players’ respect, which is crucial to his success. Consequently, a captain has to be a strong-minded individual and decisive in his thought process. To put someone of a similar mindset in a position where he’s advising the captain is inviting confrontation,” Chappell added.
New Coach To Be Appointed Before Sri Lanka Series:
As of now, the team is without a head coach for their ongoing series in West Indies. However, a new coach is expected to be appointed ahead of the next month’s Sri Lanka series.
The BCCI has extended the deadline for the application of head coach’s post and the new applicants will join Virender Sehwag, Dodda Ganesh, Tom Moody, Richard Pybus and Lalchand Rajput who had applied for the post when the board had advertised last month.