Don’t blame Virat Kohli for Anil Kumble’s resignation yet! He may not even be wrong

Anil Kumble resigns but labeling Virat Kohli as 'Bad Boy' in his rift with Kumble before knowing the whole story is like declaring the winner before the second inning

By: Arun Rawal |
June 21, 2017 2:52 pm

Tags: Anil Kumble, India, Virat Kohli,

The rift has been there, we have all known it. No matter what Virat Kohli said in his press conferences denying everything that the media posted, spoke about and analysed. After he resigned (more like withdrew from extending his tenure), Anil Kumble made explosive revelations while accepting that there was indeed a rift between the two. His farewell letter has spread like a wildfire on the internet. Though CAC had asked him to continue as the head coach, he clearly stated that Captain Kohli had ‘reservations’ about his ‘style’.

CAC’s recommendations meant Kumble could have continued despite Kohli’s alleged problems with his style. As soon as his letter hit the Internet, people started lashing out at Kohli and supported Kumble. There is no doubt that Kumble is one of the most passionate cricketers of all time. But that does not mean Kohli is to be blamed at the drop of a hat, even before hearing his side of the argument?

Kohli’s professionalism:

This might not go down well with a large number of people but Kohli is not the only one to be blamed for this rift. In fact, he was more professional about it than ‘Jumbo’. Even amid the rift (on which we had no official word), Kohli lashed out at people who were trying to spread ‘rumours and make stories for their own entertainment’.

Journalists hunting for a quote that will create a bigger controversy as they tried to ask questions from Kohli but he did not bend their way even a for a moment. He kept his stand as remained as professional as he could be. If what Kumble revealed is true, Kohli had every right to speak on such things like Kumble did, but he preferred to stay quiet and talk about their differences publicly.

#WATCH Virat Kohli addressing a press conference in Edgbaston, UK #INDvPAK #ChampionsTrophy2017 https://t.co/2prbogX6GO

— ANI (@ANI_news) June 3, 2017

Kohli is not the first one:

There have been other cricketers as well who have had problems with their seniors and coaches. Even Dhoni have had indifferences with his senior players and even they were not judged

Wait for Kohli’s side of the story:

Judging Kohli for what only Kumble has said will be like announcing the winner of a cricket match before the second inning commences. In order to know the truth behind the rift, one has to wait for Kohli’s version of events. Declaring him as the culprit just by seeing his on-field aggression and comparing that with Kumble’s calm and composed nature will be like judging the book by its cover.

Kohli is as much responsible for India’s success as Kumble

We have all seen how Kohli has performed in India’s home Test season and led the team in the difficult times. He did not even bog down when Australia thrashed India at Pune in the Test series. Kohli scored 4 double centuries in four consecutive Test series. It is no joke and till date a world record.

If Kumble is to be credited for the way he coached to get India the ICC Test mace, then Kohli also deserves a pat on his back for his consistent performance. Apart from Kohli, India has had a pool of players who did well throughout the season. Giving all the credit just to Kumble for his coaching will be demeaning Kohli as a captain, and also as a player.

We may never be able to know the actual reasons why Kumble and Kohli did not see eye to eye, but let’s just be fair and give the Indian skipper a chance to prove his innocence before we hold him guilty for all that has gone wrong.