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Anil Kumble steps down as the head coach of Indian Cricket Team

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After his largely successful tenure as the mentor of the national team for more than a year, Anil Kumble has decided to call it a day, citing professional indifferences with the captain as the reason of the decision.

After the humiliating Champion’s League final defeat by a margin of 180 runs of the Indian team at The Oval in London at the hands of Pakistan, a major announcement for the fans around the nation was in store. On Tuesday evening, Anil Kumble announced his resignation from the office of  the Head Coach of the national team. This announcement came out after his widely speculated feud with Virat Kohli and the persistent reports that Kohli and company was not comfortable with his coaching style. In the resignation letter that surfaced later the night, Kumble said that he was “surprised” by Kohli’s “reservations” since he had “always respected the role boundaries between captain and coach”.He wrote that “Professionalism, discipline, commitment, honesty, complementary skills and diverse views are the key traits I bring to the table. These need to be valued for the partnership to be effective. I see the coach’s role akin to ‘holding a mirror’ to drive self-improvement in the team’s interest. In light of these ‘reservations’, I believe it is best I hand over this responsibility to whomever the CAC and BCCI deem fit. He further added that, “Though the BCCI attempted to resolve the misunderstanding between the captain and me, it was apparent that the partnership was untenable, and I therefore believe it is best for me to move on.”

These developments followed unequivocal outcry from the Indian cricketing community as many veterans credited Kumble for his contributions to the team being critical at the same time of the superstar culture in the team. Former Indian player Bishan Singh Bedi supported Kumble’s decision of stepping down as the head coach of the Virat Kohli-led Indian team. “It was a job well done and he didn’t get into the limelight while going about it. He got the results. Can anyone challenge that? Kumble was not sitting idle. This is not a happy development for Indian cricket,” said Bedi in an exclusive chat with NDTV. According to another report by NDTV, Sunil Gavaskar was quoted as saying “India have won everything since the time Anil took over. I can’t see Anil doing much wrong in one year. Difference happen in any team but see at the results. If any of the players are complaining, I feel those players are the ones who should be left out of the team.”

In addition to this coaching stint which saw India reclaim the top Test spot, Jumbo has always been acclaimed for his never-say-die attitude towards cricket. His 10 wicket haul against Pakistan on 7th February, 1999 at Feroz Shah Kotla and the way he braved a broken jaw to bowl 14 overs on the final day of the Antigua Test against West Indies in 2002 quite portray the personality he is.

 

Image Credits- Indian Express

 

Nikhil Kumar

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