Former manager of the Indian cricket team, Ratnakar Shetty has opened up on the Kumble-Kohli relationship. In 2017, Kumble stepped down in a dramatic turn of events citing untenable relationship with Kohli.
Shetty reveals that Virat Kohli was unhappy with Kumble as the latter did not stand up for his players. Remember, this was brewing for over a month and things hit the roof when India lost against Pakistan in the 2017 Champions Trophy final. In his new book “On Board: Test.Trial.Triumph. My years in BCCI” Shetty revealed how things unfolded leading up to Kumble’s resignation.
Shetty stated that there were some people who did not want Kumble to continue in the role of head coach of the side. Shetty made it clear that Kohli and Kumble were not on the same page, and the skipper had the upper hand in this matter.
“The events leading up to the resignation of Anil Kumble as coach of the men’s team after the ICC Champions Trophy final in June 2017 showcased the murkiness that had steadily crept into the corridors of the Cricket Centre,” Shetty was quoted as writing in his book. “It was obvious that some people did not want Anil to continue as coach. The captain and coach did not appear to be on the same wavelength and it seemed that the captain had the upper hand.” Shetty said.
“I learnt later about a meeting that took place in London before the final of the Champions Trophy, which we lost to Pakistan. This meeting was attended by Virat, Anil, Johri, Amitabh Choudhary and Dr Sridhar. Apparently, Virat was not happy with Anil ‘for not standing up for the players and creating a tense atmosphere in the dressing room’, among other things,” Shetty added.