Anil Kumble vs Virat Kohli – The great Indian cricket drama
Anil Kumble stepped down as the head coach of the Indian cricket team, days before the limited-overs tour of the West Indies begins on June 23.
It has been learnt that Kumble’s decision came in the wake of reports claiming rifts between him and skipper Virat Kohli, and just two days after India’s embarrassing loss to Pakistan in the ICC Champions Trophy final.
His one year contract expired at the end of the Champions Trophy but he was given the option to travel with the team to the West Indies for the five ODIs and a solitary T20.
However, Kohli met the BCCI top brass along with Kumble in London before leaving for the West Indies on Tuesday. The meeting took place after the high-profile Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) communicated to the BCCI that it had failed resolve the differences between Kumble and Kohli.
Here’s the full-timeline of the Kohli-Kumble spat –
May 30: With just five days to go for the Champions Trophy 2017, reports emerge of trouble brewing between Kohli and Kumble, with the India skipper unhappy over Kumble’s functioning.
May 31: BCCI invite applications for the post of Indian cricket team coach after the end of Kumble’s one-year contract. Virender Sehwag Tom Moody, Richard Pybus, Doda Ganesh and Lalchand Rajput are some names to apply.
June 1: Amitabh Chaudhary, acting secretary of BCCI, dismisses rumors of spat between Kumble and Kohli, says, “I cannot see any smoke at all.”
June 3: Ahead of the Champions Trophy match against Pakistan, Kohli dismissed reports of a fight and took a swipe at the media.
June 12: Vinod Rai, the head of the Committee of Administrators, announces that he will continue as coach for the West Indies series but it is subject to acceptance by the former Indian leg-spinner.
June 13: The Cricket Advisory Committee, comprising of Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Sourav Ganguly tell both Kohli and Kumble to soften their stands and bury their differences to ensure a congenial atmosphere.
June 15: Reports emerge that Kohli will attend the Advisory Committee – BCCI meeting over coach issue.
June 17: Kohli reportedly expressed his “strong reservations” about head coach Anil Kumble in a meeting with the CAC in London that lasts close to one hour.
June 20: Kumble does not travel with team to the West Indies. Reports say that he is attending the ICC meeting in London on June 22 and 23.
June 20 (Evening): Anil Kumble withdraws from the post of Head Coach of the Indian Cricket Team.
