May 31: Playing down the rumored rift between India captain Virat Kohli and coach Anil Kumble, legendary batsman Sunil Gavaskar said on Wednesday that some amount of misunderstanding between captain and coach is understandable.
Kumble, who enjoyed a successful stint at the helm of the Indian team over a long season which included 13 Test matches at home against Australia, New Zealand, England and Bangladesh, is under a bit of a cloud at the moment.
Known to have a strict attitude towards discipline, the legendary leg-spinner is reportedly not on the best of terms with Kohli.
“You will never have a situation where the captain and the coach in any country is on the same page. They will always be a little difference of opinion. The coach is invariably someone who belongs to an earlier generation or the just finished generation,” Gavaskar said at an event here.
“So the thought process, the approach, the attitude towards the game is slightly different.
“It might not be something actually happening on the field. It could be something to do with practice sessions or team combinations. I don’t think that should be taken too seriously because these discussions are healthy for the team,” he added.
When reminded that Kohli enjoyed excellent relations with Kumble’s predecessor Ravi Shastri, Gavaskar said: “I’m sure if there were any difference they probably did not come to the fore.”
Kumble’s demand for higher salaries for himself and the players has also irked the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) who have invited applications for potential candidates to succeed the 46-year-old.
Gavaskar. who was speaking at the Aaj Tak Salaam Cricket 2017 conclave insisted that the BCCI is only following procedure and backed Kumble to continue in the job.
“Kumble was given a one-year contract. Now when that contract is ending, the BCCI has decided that they will follow procedure and advertise for a new coach. Since Kumble was given a direct entry into the process of selecting a new coach, maybe nobody else will apply for the post. Maybe there will be nobody else applying for the job.
“So in my view, what the BCCI is doing is following procedure,” the former India captain said.
Gavaskar, the first batsman to breach the 10,000-run mark in Test cricket, said Kumble’s results over the last one year show he has done nothing wrong.
“Kumble has done a very good job as coach. I am simply going by the results and when you go by the results of last year, you can say he has done nothing wrong,” he said.
Gavaskar said a coach should be somebody who has long-term interests for Indian cricket at heart.
“A coach should be somebody who has a vision for Indian cricket. He should have a vision that should take the team ahead for the next 8 to 10 years,” he said.
(IANS)
