Tendulkar and Ganguly couldn't convince Kohli regarding Kumble: Vinod Rai
In 2017, Indian cricket was marred by the controversy surrounding skipper Virat Kohli and then coach Anil Kumble. The two strong personalities fell out which led to Kumble's resignation post the ICC Champions Trophy. Vinod Rai, whose tenure as the chief of the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators ended on Wednesday, opened up on the controversy. Here's more.
In his three years as the CoA boss, Rai and the committee were tasked with overseeing the functioning of the BCCI and had to see through several tumultuous moments in Indian cricket. Speaking to Hindustan Times, Rai spoke regarding the Kohli-Kumble rift and how even legends Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar couldn't convince a determined Kohli to allow Kumble to continue as the coach.
Ahead of the Champions Trophy, there were talks of a rift between Kohli and Kumble. India lost in the final against Pakistan, after which Kumble went on to announce his resignation as the head coach. Kumble had decided not to continue as coach despite the BCCI's Cricket Advisory Committee endorsing an extension to his tenure. Kumble referred to the relation with Kohli as untenable.
In an interview to HT, Rai revealed how he had a long chat with Sachin. He said he went on to meet Sachin in Birmingham during the Champions Trophy. Rai told then CAC member Sachin about his chat with Kohli. Revealing that Kohli was in no mood to accept Kumble as coach, he asked Sachin to have a word with the former.
"I know Sachin and Sourav spoke to him. Sourav told me recently that they had a long chat with him. If they couldn't persuade him how could I? Look, if there is a difference in the dressing room between captain and coach, who is more dispensable? Obviously, the coach," said Rai. That's where we got caught. Dirty linen got washed in public," he added.
"If this had happened today, Sourav (current BCCI president) would have thrust Kumble down Virat's throat. But it could have created more tensions. I respected Kumble because he walked out," Rai concluded.
