Don't conclude Kohli's arrogance caused the fallout with Kumble, just going by his aggressive reputation
- In Current Affairs
- 10:17 PM, Jun 21, 2017
- Shwetank Bhushan
Former Indian cricketing legend Anil Kumble has resigned from being head Indian cricket team’s head coach. Kumble's resignation has generated plenty of reactions, and naturally so. It is more so because he called the partnership between him and Captain Virat Kohli, 'untenable,' and in such circumstances, he believed it was best for him to move on.
It is well-established that Cricket in India is like a religion and the entire nation seems to be outrageously divided. People are calling it a clash of egos, a clash of two strong personalities. But, in my honest quest, it seems to be a conflict between two untenable positions.
I am a sports fanatic and a passionate cricket follower like any other Indian. In that capacity of a sports fanatic and an ardent cricket fan, I wish to explore the situation and its complexities.
In traditional coaching of a team sport, the role of a coach is an expert puppeteer, who orchestrates the actions of players according to his vision and as the source of energy of the team.
It is seen in most of the team sports. In games like Football, the coaches are called managers. They make the strategies; they decide the team composition, the pattern. Football coaches buy and sell players in case of club football, not always on skill set, but their suitability in the team that would help the synergy. In a nutshell, the football manager reserves all the veto and buck stops there.
On the contrary, in an Individual sport, the player is the central energy source, and the role of a coach is an expert facilitator, who removes his/her interference that blocks the potential and ignites the passion.
On hearing the news of this spat between the captain and the coach, Abhinav Bindra tweeted this:
My biggest teachers was coach Uwe.I hated him!But stuck with him for 20 years.He always told me things I did not want to hear.#justsaying
— Abhinav Bindra (@Abhinav_Bindra) June 20, 2017
Abhinav is right and said what he experienced, but not fitting.
Cricket is a funny game. It is neither individual nor entirely a team sport. In cricket, players perform individually in turn, and it lacks the synergy required for a game like Hockey or Football.
I am compelled here to share a few quotes of two cricketing geniuses, who reserve their opinion on cricket coaches.
"I was never coached. I was never told how to hold a bat." - said, Sir Don Bradman
"I am a big believer that the coach is something you travel in to get to and from the game" - Shane Warne
In fact, in cricket, the job of a coach in my humble opinion, is to provide an environment that encourages players to learn and evolve on and off the field, to create a positive learning environment in good and bad times.
I do not deny that the role of a coach in the game of cricket has not gradually on a high. We have heard gushing praises for coaches like Dav Whatmore, John Buchanan, and John Wright from both critiques as well as players.
With all the courage at my disposal, I believe, the 2007 Team India that went to play the World Cup, remains the best team India ever sent. But we had a disruptive coach in Greg Chappell, and the result is well known.
Let me remind that when Gary Kirsten started playing international cricket, Sachin was already a sensation. When Gary retired, Sachin was still scoring centuries. It is evident, Kirsten could not have coached Sachin, how to bat. But Gary Kirsten brought back the supportive environment in the dressing room. That is what the cricketing coaches do.
I admit that both Kumble and Kohli are a different kind of individuals, but both carry a firm head on their shoulders. The real issue is confusion their roles. Quandary erupts when two powerful and determined individuals are to the fore, and their roles are not well defined or well understood.
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Anil Kumble said that he is someone who holds a mirror to the team. I think, there lies the confusion. I am not sure about the role of a coach in Indian Cricket team, but he certainly not is a critique. I think Jumbo was picked to share his wisdom, his experience, give ideas, and help the team to feel motivated all the time.
The team is selected by selectors in consultation with the Captain. It is the captain who goes out and faces the opposition. It is the captain who decides the bowlers and field placements based on changing situation. I think it is the batsman who decides the batting order too. I believe that the Coach does not and should have a veto in any of these decisions except some suggestions and insights.
It is the captain whose career is at stake, who gets the abuses, whose house gets stoned when the team loses. So the buck stops with the captain.
I am unsure of what fractured the relationship between Kohli and Kumble. Only the BCCI is in the know, and I doubt we will ever come to know. It is the BCCI who will decide if they find him a good captain or not.
But till he is the captain, irrespective of what his differences with the coach might have been, it is Kohli on whose shoulders success of Indian team depends in years to come; it is him who will be held responsible for failures. So it is him whose views matters.
Recently, I wrote an article titled 'India's all-time Test Squad' in which Kumble was one of those players who picked themselves. Anil Kumble is a cricketing legend, and such a committed man must be preserved. I will be disappointed if there isn't a bigger role for Anil.
But as of now, and plainly in the interest of Indian cricket, I refuse to conclude that Kohli must have been arrogant and caused this fallout, just going by his aggressive reputation.
I was saddened to see the way Virat got out in the Champions League final. Almost twice in two balls. If he was out of form, I could understand. But having scored a lot of runs in the tournament, a batsman of Kohli's caliber was totally out of focus. That is the worst thing that can happen to team India. By taking on Jumbo, Virat has shown his guts. Now it is time to focus on his batting and get back that Midas touch.
I stand with firm Captain Virat. In the game of Cricket, if there is a falling out between captain and coach, the captain will have his say. He is the man we must trust. No one else.
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