Virat Kohli Said Anil Kumble Was Too Much Of A Disciplinarian, Young Players Weren't Happy: Vinod Rai In His Book
Former Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) Vinod Rai, in his book, Not Just a Nightwatchman - My Innings in the BCCI, shed light on the controversial episode.
New Delhi: The tense relationship between legendary leg-spinner Anil Kumble and Virat Kohli was not hidden from the world. Team India was doing pretty well under Kumble as head coach back then.
Virat & Co. had a good outing against West Indies and also had a brilliant 2017 Champions Trophy run in England, reaching the finals where they lost against Pakistan.
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During this time, several media reports had said that players were not happy with Kumble's rigid coaching style and that Kohli had lobbied with some senior players to get rid of the veteran as head coach.
Anil Kumble's untimely resignation as India's head coach had confirmed that the rift rumors between him and Kohli were true. After this, Kohli's favorite Ravi Shastri made entry into the national team as Kumble's replacement.
Former Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) Vinod Rai, in his book, Not Just a Nightwatchman - My Innings in the BCCI, shed light on the controversial episode.
“In my conversations with the captain and team management, it was conveyed that Kumble was too much of a disciplinarian and hence the team members were not too happy with him," wrote Rai in his book, Not Just a Nightwatchman — My Innings in the BCCI, according to the Indian Express.
"I had spoken to Virat Kohli on the issue and he did mention that the younger members of the team felt intimidated by the way he worked with them,” Rai added.
Rai wrote that Kumble was "upset about the manner in which the entire episode was handled."
“We had long conversations with Kumble after he had returned from the UK. He was obviously upset about the manner in which the entire episode had panned out. He felt he had been unfairly treated and a captain or team should not be given so much importance. It was the duty of the coach to bring discipline and professionalism into the team and as a senior, his views should have been respected by the players,” Rai wrote.
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