The rift between Team India’s former Head Coach Anil Kumble and skipper Virat Kohli became the talk of the town as the latter had ‘reservations’ about his style of coaching. The series of events caught the eyes of whole cricket fraternity with a few taking side of Anil Kumble while others felt that the issue could have been handled better by the Board of Control of Cricket in India (BCCI). Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Gautam Gambhir too opened up on the matter as he shared his opinion on the whole episode.
While speaking to India Today, Gambhir said, “BCCI could have handled it in a lot more professional way. You got to give a legend like Anil Kumble a lot more respect. He is someone who has done so much for Indian cricket and has been a captain as well.”
Gambhir did not utter a word against Kohli but against BCCI for treating a legend like Kumble poorly. Gambhir seemed concerned about how BCCI’s image got tarnished because of the issue and how it affected the number of applicants for the head coach post.
He said, “If you handle the issue in this fashion it gives a poor image. I think because of that you got the kind of coach applicants you got to consider.”
Though Gambhir wants the side to look further and douse the flames ignited by the controversy, he said, “It’s done and dusted and the appointment has been made. Irrespective of whether Anil Kumble is the coach or Ravi Shastri, what’s more important is that India wins. After all the coach’s performance is not analysed, the team’s performance is.”
The 35-year-old did not blame Kohli for the matter, he said, “I don’t think there will be external pressure on Virat. The coach has been appointed. The support staff is largely the same,”
“If this controversy had lingered on it could have been a distraction. Now it should not. The series is about to get underway. You have gone there to play as a cricketer. Who should be appointed is not your job. Your focus is on cricket,” he added.
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