Anil Kumble stays back as Indian team leaves for West Indies tour
What’s the story?
Following their defeat in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2017, the Indian cricket team have moved on to their next endeavour, which is a limited-overs tour of the Caribbean islands. The team left for Barbados on Tuesday, with all members and the support staff travelling to the West Indies barring the head coach Anil Kumble.
Kumble is reported to have stayed back in order to sit through the ICC Annual Conference that began on Monday. The former India captain is the head of the Cricket Committee of the global governing body and would be responsible for putting to practice the newly-formulated laws that were approved by the technical committee recently.
“Yes, chief coach Anil Kumble is staying back for the ICC meeting. The team is flying off to Barbados today,” a member of the team management confirmed to news18 today.
In case you didn’t know...
Pakistan defeated India in the final game of the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 by a massive margin of 180 runs. Held at the Oval, the game saw Pakistan opening batsman Fakhar Zaman surprise everyone with his breathtaking century (114 runs off 106 balls) and helped his side compile a mountainous total of 338/4.
In reply, spectacular bowling performances by Mohammad Amir, who removed India’s fabled top three – Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, and Virat Kohli – and Hasan Ali, who picked up three wickets of his own, forced India to succumb to the pressure of chasing a big total, in addition to the pressure of a final, as they catapulted to 158 all out.
Details
While the speculations of a possible rift between Kumble and Kohli was outrightly denied by the India captain at the beginning of the tournament, the question of disagreement over certain aspects inside the dressing room wasn't put out of the window.
The decision to stay back in London by Kumble could have been taken on professional grounds, but the long-standing issue that has led to the BCCI initiating a fresh procedure for the selection of the new India coach needs to be resolved soon.
A well-placed source within the Committee of Administrators (CoA), which was appointed by the Supreme Court of India to oversee the BCCI’s operations, told news18 that the captain’s view holds a strong position when it comes to deciding who the next coach of the team should be.
“The COA has no role to play in the appointment of the next India coach or in handing Kumble an extension. But, one thing that is clear is that Kohli and Kumble need to be on the same page if Kumble is to get an extension,” the source said.
“Otherwise, a situation might arise wherein the players might find it difficult to handle the scenario. Imagine the coach wanting something and the skipper asking the players to do something else. That is a scenario that must be avoided.
“The Cricket Advisory Committee has legends in the form of Tendulkar, Ganguly, and Laxman and they will take a call keeping the best interest of Indian cricket on their mind. Also, they are being assisted by BCCI CEO Rahul Johri. Hopefully, a decision will be reached soon,” the source added.
Author’s take
The recently-concluded Champions Trophy had taken the attention off this contentious issue that had plagued the mood of the team as well its fans in the build-up to the eight-team tournament.
However, now that the tournament is done and dusted, a viable solution needs to be found to the perceived disagreements between the coach and the captain. Kumble’s contract expires on June 20.