Vinod Rai Book: BCCI’s yet another dirty laundry is out in public and this time former administrator Vinod Rai, who has detailed the events during his tenure as a member of the Supreme Court-appointed CoA. He threw some light on the ugly feud between former skipper Virat Kohli and head coach Anil Kumble with the former complaining to BCCI that the players felt intimidated by disciplinarian Kumble. Follow IPL 2022 Live Updates on InsideSport.IN.
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During the tumultuous period in Indian cricket, Vinod Rai was often criticised for not having enough control over the situations, especially with the turn of events in the run up to Anil Kumble stepping down from his coaching role.
Vinod Rai Book: Explosive Vinod Rai’s book details rift between Virat Kohli & Anil Kumble, says ‘Players felt intimidated by Kumble’
Vinod Rai Book: Explosive Vinod Rai’s book details rift between Virat Kohli & Anil Kumble, says ‘Players felt intimidated by Kumble’
Young players were intimidated by Kumble – In his book, ‘Not Just a Nightwatchman — My Innings in the BCCI’, Vinod Rai explained how the two fell out and forced the CAC to intervene after a request from the CoA. Rai said “there was no denying that the situation could have been handled differently”.
“In my conversations with the captain and team management, it was conveyed that Kumble was too much of a disciplinarian and hence the team members were not too happy with him. I had spoken to Virat Kohli on the issue and he did mention that the younger members of the team felt intimidated by the way he worked with them,” Vinod Rai wrote in his book.
Vinod Rai Book: Explosive Vinod Rai’s book details rift between Virat Kohli & Anil Kumble, says ‘Players felt intimidated by Kumble’
#Breaking: Indian captain Virat #Kohli breaks his silence on former coach, Anil #Kumble on his #resignation and respect for him pic.twitter.com/Ch8Y4INe3j
— WION (@WIONews) June 23, 2017
Vinod Rai Book: Explosive Vinod Rai’s book details rift between Virat Kohli & Anil Kumble, says ‘Players felt intimidated by Kumble’
CoA intervention didn’t help – The CoA had to seek CAC members — Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman’s help to step in and find a solution. While the CAC members spoke to both Kumble and Kohli separately during the Champions Trophy in England in 2017, they failed to repair the damage. Anil Kumble stepped down after just a year in charge.
“We had long conversations with Kumble after he had returned from the UK. He was obviously upset about the manner in which the entire episode had panned out. He felt he had been unfairly treated and a captain or team should not be given so much importance. It was the duty of the coach to bring discipline and professionalism into the team and as a senior, his views should have been respected by the players,” Vinod Rai wrote.
Vinod Rai Book: Explosive Vinod Rai’s book details rift between Virat Kohli & Anil Kumble, says ‘Players felt intimidated by Kumble’
Thank you! pic.twitter.com/eF5qVzdBRj
— Anil Kumble (@anilkumble1074) June 20, 2017
Vinod Rai Book: Explosive Vinod Rai’s book details rift between Virat Kohli & Anil Kumble, says ‘Players felt intimidated by Kumble’
Kumble-Kohli rift beyond repair – In fact, then CEO Rahul Johri and Amitabh Choudhary both spoke to the coach and captain as per the book but they felt it was beyond repair.
“They felt that the differences were fairly severe and maybe it was only the CAC that would be best suited to have a thorough discussion with both of them. Soon, the CAC met in London and interacted with the two separately, in a bid to resolve the issue. After deliberations over three days, they decided to recommend Kumble’s reappointment as the head coach,” Vinod Rai wrote.
But miffed with the treatment from the Indian captain and the BCCI, Anil Kumble decided to step down. Rai said it was a “bolt from the blue” as Kumble minced no words.
“I was informed by the BCCI that the captain has reservations with my ‘style’ and about my continuing as Head Coach. I was surprised since I had always respected the role boundaries between Captain and Coach,” Kumble wrote in his resignation letter.
Vinod Rai Book: Explosive Vinod Rai’s book details rift between Virat Kohli & Anil Kumble, says ‘Players felt intimidated by Kumble’