The unceremonious manner in which Anil Kumble had to step down despite showing his interest in taking the Indian cricket forward shows that all was not well between him and captain Virat Kohli (“Kumble’s farewell,” June 22). The differences between the captain and the coach could easily have been resolved had there had been a functioning cricket administration. Kumble could have fought it out, but probably looked at the bigger picture and quit. A coach cannot be a cheerleader of the team. He cannot agree with the captain in whatever he says. There should be healthy discussion between players and the coach for the betterment of the team. The class of Kumble can’t be questioned. We cannot forget his brave act during the Antigua Test against the West Indies in 2002 when, despite having a broken jaw, he came forward to bowl and picked up the wicket of Brian Lara. Indian cricket stands to lose due to his resignation.
J. Akshay,
Bengaluru
The selection process of Indian cricket coach has become a farce and the BCCI should take responsibility for this messy affair. The board cannot allow a captain to take a final call on the coach who is supposed to guide the team as a whole. Kumble’s cricketing and coaching record speaks for itself and he should have been automatically given an extension. It is high time the board exhibited good governance with a long-term perspective, instead of taking ad hoc decisions. The captain can dictate action on the field, but off the field his powers need to be kept in check. Giving too much importance to the captain and the superstar culture is not going to take either the board or Indian cricket anywhere.
R.S. Raghavan,
Bengaluru
