You don't want a 'Yes-Man', says Jason Gillespie on the Kohli-Kumble breach

Jason Gillespie speaks on the Kohli-Kumble rift

What's the story?

The rift between Indian skipper Virat Kohli and the outgoing head coach Anil Kumble was spawning news since the beginning of ICC Champions Trophy 2017. And Kumble's rejection of BCCI's contract to extend his tenure for the same role added more fuel to the fire. Amidst the pool of opinions upon this issue, former Australian fast bowler Jason Gillespie shared his insights about the same. 

Gillespie commented that the captain and the coach can hold different perspectives while eyeing the same goal. “You don't expect the captain and coach to agree on absolutely everything but if they've got a shared vision they'll work through any potential (difficult) situations even if they might not see eye to eye,” said Gillespie.

He stated that a good debate and discussion between the captain and the coach is vital. It enables the two to narrow down the differences in their approach which is directed towards the common goal. Insisting upon his point he said, “The overriding thing I would say that if the captain and the coach have a shared vision, an overall goal, then how they get there is going to vary from situation to situation.”

In case you didn't know...

There were reports about the tussle between the Indian captain and the coach. The two readily denied these reports ahead of the Champions Trophy. However, right after the conclusion of the tournament, Kumble decided to put an end to the disputed role. He rejected the contract extension on the grounds on ‘úntenable’ relationship with the captain. He also pointed out Kohli's reservations about the coaching style as a major problem.

Earlier, the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) hinted that Anil Kumble will continue with the job. However, Kumble's resignation on Tuesday created a turmoil as everyone started to speculate the plausible reasons behind this step. Gillespie, being an experienced coach himself, used the chance to elucidate the general equation between a captain and a coach.

The heart of the matter

Gillespie further stated that it is not essential for either of the two to agree with everything. The requirement in professional sports is that both the captain and the coach need to be on the same page. And as long as the difference in opinions does not hamper the relationship, they can work efficiently towards the same goal. However, if that starts to compromise with the comfort between the two, they can “shake hands” and move on.

Kumble, on the other hands, holds a different opinion about the same. He commented that the coach and the captain can never be on the same page since they belong to two different generations of the sport. 

Gillispie affirmed that Kohli is an excellent player and is also responsible for some fine captaincy moves. And then went on to conclude by saying that Anil Kumble's resignation from the post was his way of “shaking hands and moving ahead.” He also mentioned that the role of India's head coach is very special but he did not apply for it.

What's next?

Dr MV Sridhar will act as interim coach for India's limited-overs tour of West Indies scheduled to begin on 23^rd June. The CAC, comprising of Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman will meanwhile resume their search for the new head coach of the Indian Cricket team.

Author's take

This entire issue attracted enough eyeballs since the moment the reports about it started circulating in the news. It is evident that Kohli and Kumble are not comfortable with each other's line of action. The CAC did not make any announcements about the changes during the Champions Trophy to refrain from causing any adverse effect on the players. 

It is important for the captain and the coach to realise that they are the key-holders of the overall performance of the team. A dispute between them is not worth risking the position of the entire team. If there needs to be a blend of the contradicting two perspectives, initiation is required from both the sides. Having said that, the management could have also made an effort to bring out a solution for this issue before it turned this unpleasant.