Vinod Rai, who at the helm of the Committee of Administrators (CoA) for three years that ran BCCI, has suggested that Anil Kumble and Virat Kohli had a far-from-healthy working relationship.
In his book, Not Just a Nightwatchman — My Innings in the BCCI, brought out by Rupa Publications, the former IAS officer says the much-discussed captain-coach rift had hit the administrators like a ‘ton of bricks.’
In his book, Vinod Rai wrote:
“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. 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
“He was upset about the manner in which the entire episode had panned out” – Anil Kumble to Vinod Rai
Former Indian head coach, however, during his conversation with CoA maintained that it was in the best interest of the team. Kumble also highlighted that his successful record as head coach should be given more weightage than the perceived grievances of players, according to Vinod Rai.
“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 added further.
However, Anil Kumble took the matter into his own hands and decided to step down as the head coach in 2017.
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