In the latest chapter of the alleged ongoing cold war between the India captain and coach, Virat Kohli has reportedly told the Cricket Advisory Committee that he is not in favour of Anil Kumble getting another stint as head coach.
Kohli has conveyed his “strong reservations” about Kumble, who has re-applied for the post, according to a report by The Telegraph.
The report quotes sources saying that Kohli had an hour-long meeting with the three members of the CAC – Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman, BCCI acting secretary Amitabh Choudhary, CEO Rahul Johri and general manager Dr MV Sridhar, on Saturday, a day before the Champions Trophy final against Pakistan in London.
The committee is set to meet Kumble on Monday, after the tournament has ended. India went down by 180 runs in the final against Pakistan on Sunday.
“Kohli is very clear about where he stands vis-a-vis Kumble,” one of the sources was quoted as saying by The Telegraph. “It seems the relationship is beyond the repair stage. However, the CAC will now meet Kumble and see if a patch-up is possible.”
However, the CAC are supposedly faced with a quandary as it was them that had appointed Kumble as coach a year ago and the team has not done badly under him. The report continues that the CAC is worried about the level of influence the captain can have on the decisions and what happens if Kohli fails to see eye to eye with Kumble’s successor.
Currently, Tom Moody and Virender Sehwag are the frontrunners to be India’s next coach.
However, it is all speculation since Kohli has maintained that there are no problems within the Indian dressing room. Vinod Rai, the chairman of the BCCI Committee of Administrators, had already said that Kumble will remain India’s coach for the tour of West Indies, subject to his acceptance. India leave for the Caribbean straight after the Champions Trophy in England.
