Jason Gillespie said that captain and coach may have their disagreements but they need to have a shared vision for the team. (Source: PTI)
Former Australia fast bowler Jason Gillespie said that it might be a clash of personalities between Anil Kumble and Virat Kohli that has led to the former quitting as the coach of the Indian team. Kumble, himself a former captain of India, had announced his decision on Tuesday. He stated in his statement that he was informed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India of the misgivings that Kohli and a few other players had about him continuing in the role.
“Virat is a big personality, there’s no doubt about that,” Gillespie said. “He’s a fine player and done some fine things as captain and it appears from the outside there’s a bit of a clash of personalities.”
“If that’s the case then everyone shakes hands and moves on. If it’s not working it’s not working,” he said. Kumble said that the “partnership” between him and Kohli had become “untenable” and it was best for him to move on. “That’s probably the way Anil Kumble is looking at it. I read his statement and he basically said he likes to have good discussions about the betterment of the Indian side and he doesn’t feel that’s working, so he’s dusted himself off, shaken hands and walked away with his head held high. That’s part and parcel of professional sport,” said Gillespie who has coached a number of teams in Australia since his retirement.
Anil Kumble’s statement was a confirmation of the rift between him and Kohli that the Indian captain had denied in a press conference during the ICC Champions Trophy. The BCCI had also stated that the Cricket Advisory Committee, which comprises of Kumble’s long standing team mates Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman, had endorsed an extension of his contract that ended with the Champions Trophy. Kohli, or any of the Indian players, are yet to make a statement on the subject.
“The overriding thing I would say is that if the captain and the coach have a shared vision, an overall goal, then how they get there is going to vary from situation to situation,” said Gillespie, “You don’t expect the captain and coach to agree on absolutely everything but if they’ve got a shared vision they’ll work through any potential (difficult) situations even if they might not see eye to eye. Anil has decided not to (return) in the job so he must feel that those discussions and debate about what’s best for the team isn’t working in the current environment.”
