New coach should get along with captain Virat Kohli, hint BCCI officials
What’s the story?
The entire Anil Kumble episode is now settling down and the BCCI are now on the lookout for a new coach and according to a BCCI official, the Cricket Advisory Committee will keep the Kumble-episode at the back of their minds before roping in a new person for the job.
“The advisory committee are adept at getting the right man but they would certainly have the Kumble episode at the back of their mind while selecting the new coach,” a Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
”Even though Kohli has no role in the selection, a person who will get along with the captain is always good for the team and who better than Sachin, Sourav and Laxman to know how the captain-coach relationship works,” the official further added.
Also read: Rating the Indian Coaches who donned the hats since 2000
The Details
Another official said that had Anil Kumble stayed in the fray, other candidates would have been slightly sceptical, but now the since the playing field is open, there can be good healthy competition for the position.
The relationship with captain Virat Kohli will be paramount for the Advisory Committee and hence the person who comes in should also believe in sharing similar ideologies of the captain, which is to maintain the sanctity of the dressing room.
Also, despite the fact that Kohli will not part of the selection process his influence over the team and his personal bonding with the candidate will hold the key in the next appointment.
In case you didn’t know...
Anil Kumble decided to step down as the coach of the Indian team when he decided not to renew his contract with the BCCI.
In his parting letter, he claimed that since the captain was not comfortable with his working style, the relationship had become untenable and hence he decided to move on.
The BCCI subsequently extended the deadline for people applying for the coach’s job as they wanted to have a number of options before making the final call.
What's next?
India are about to commence their 5-match series with the West Indies without the head coach and the BCCI is confident of naming a new coach before the Sri Lanka tour.
The CAC have their work cut out as they hunt for the next coach since they have to look at a number of critical factors before making the decisive call.
Author's Take
The ruptured relationship between Kohli and Kumble was essentially because the captain did not enjoy the trust of the coach and vice versa and hence it is only common sense that the next person assuming the role has to identify the fact that establishing a healthy relationship with the captain is big criteria if his tenure is to be successful.
Thus, the job of the CAC and the BCCI would be to filter out the best person and then give him a long rope to establish his presence in the dressing room and win the confidence of the team.