Rajeev Shukla, senior official of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) assured that the Indian cricket team will appoint a new head coach prior to next month’s tour to Sri Lanka as Anil Kumble resigned from the post in the wake of his alleged differences with captain Virat Kohli on Tuesday.
Shukla revealed that the BCCI tried their level best to resolve the issue between Kumble and Kohli, but no outcome could be found out and therefore, the former cricketer decided to move on.
“BCCI has tried its best to resolve the issue. The acting secretary, CEO had a discussion with Kumble and Kohli. They consulted the Chairman of the COA also. They tried to resolve the whole issue, but ultimately no outcome could be found. Finally, Kumble decided to move on and he has decided not to continue with the West Indies tour,” the Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman told reporters.
“Earlier, the decision was taken that Kumble will continue till the Sri Lanka tour. But he has decided to not go on with the West Indies tour. BCCI wishes him all the best for his future career. Meanwhile, the BCCI has decided to search for the coach. Before Sri Lankan tour, we will find out the best coach for Team India,” he added.
The BCCI has now deputed its general manager Dr MV Sridhar to supervise the team management for the West Indies tour. Meanwhile, Sanjay Bangar, and R Sridhar will continue to remain the Batting Coach and the Fielding Coach, respectively.
Shukla further informed that the captain would not have a say on the appointment of the new coach.
“When the coach is selected, captain has not got any role in that. The Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) has been constituted and they will be recommending the names. After that, BCCI will decide who should be the coach,” he said.
Earlier, Kumble informed that skipper Virat Kohli had reservations about his working ‘style’ and his extension as the head coach, which prompted him to resign.
In a strongly worded letter, Kumble took to Twitter to reveal the reason behind his surprising decision.
Kumble said that although the BCCI had, several times, attempted to resolve the misunderstandings between him and the captain, it was apparent that the partnership was untenable, and therefore, he had decided to move on.
However, Kohli, before India’s opening encounter at the Champions Trophy against Pakistan, rejected the reports of him having a rift with the head coach, saying they were mere speculations which have been created by the people.
Kumble was appointed coach in June 2016 for a one-year term by the CAC and was instantly successful. Under him, India won Test series against West Indies, New Zealand, England, Bangladesh and Australia.
And he was being considered the front-runner for an extension till the 2019 World Cup, with Team India having won almost every series under him in the past one year.
It was reported that the three-member CAC, comprising of former cricketers Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman, who are tasked to find the new coach for the Indian cricket team, was willing to retain the legendary leg-spinner for the post.
The BCCI has already invited applications for the position.
While Dodda Ganesh, Lalchand Rajput, Richard Pybus and Tom Moody had submitted applications for the post of head coach, former Indian opener Virender Sehwag forwarded a two-line cover letter to the management.
Source: India.com