Virat Kohli moved to quell the growing talk of a rift between his India players and the head coach, Anil Kumble, on the eve of their hugely anticipated Champions Trophy opener with Pakistan at Edgbaston, insisting there are “no problems whatsoever”.
Kumble, the former wrist-spinner and national team captain, has been told he must re-apply for the position after his current one-year term expires at the end of the tournament and, despite 19 wins and four defeats across all formats during his time, change may be afoot.
The team, according to reports in India, have told the administrators running their country’s embattled cricket board that Kumble’s style is “overbearing” and now former players Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman, who comprise the three-man panel overseeing the appointment, must sort the truth from conjecture.
Kohli, the India captain, has previously said the process is no different to what has occurred in the past but before his side’s meeting with Pakistan – a rare encounter given bilateral ties are currently on hold – much of the focus remained on Kumble.
“There are no problems whatsoever,” said Kohli. “As I mentioned before, if something is put in place as a process, I don’t see why people are creating so many speculations about it. The team is totally focused on the Champions Trophy.”
Asked about his own relationship with the head coach, Kohli said: “It’s been really good. The whole journey has been good.”
The situation was not helped this week when Ramachandra Guha, who was part of the Committee of Administrators that runs Indian cricket, resigned and in the letter explaining his reasons – published by ESPNCricinfo – raised the issue of problems in the current set-up.
Guha criticised the way Kumble’s future had been “left hanging” by his contract not being renewed automatically and questioned whether it would give players the belief of their having a veto on the subject in “another example of superstar culture gone berserk”.
The state of affairs adds an extra layer of intrigue to the start of India’s title defence that begins against their neighbours – against whom they have won their past six encounters in global tournaments – and was something the Pakistan head coach, Mickey Arthur, looked to sidestep.
“That’s India’s problem,” said Arthur, whose captain, Sarfraz Ahmed, was sitting next to him. “All I know is that the captain/coach relationship is almost like a marriage. You’ve got to be on the same page all the time. And if you’re on the same page you get correct decisions and you give clarity to your team.
“I’ve had the privilege of working with so many good captains in my time and Saffy is right up there as one I’m really going to enjoy working with, in terms of our relationship going forward.”
