BCCI asks Virat Kohli to 'adjust' for a while with coach Anil Kumble set to continue till West Indies tour

With the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), consisting of former cricketers Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Sourav Ganguly, reportedly deciding to retain current Team India coach Anil Kumble as the coach, at least for the time being, all eyes are now on how Virat Kohli will adjust with his bete noir.

According to a report in The Times of India , the trio have found it difficult to remove Kumble at short notice, as the team proceeds to West Indies for a short limited overs series just a week after the Champions Trophy.

In view of such a situation, the report quoted a top source as saying that Kohli has been told to ‘adjust’ for a while more.

“The CAC has bought some time for Kumble and ensured he is not ignominiously removed after India’s run in the Champions Trophy . He will travel with the team to West Indies. It’s a short tour so there shouldn’t be any problems,” The Times of India quoted the top source as saying.

The report noted that the CAC had met BCCI CEO Rahul Johri at a London hotel on Thursday night and conveyed their unanimous decision, adding that trio had also met Kumble and Kohli separately.

A decision on Kumble’s future is expected to be taken on 26 June during a Special General Meeting (SGM). However, there is no clarity over when the committee will conduct interviews for the post of coach.

Nevertheless, what might have worked in the veteran cricketer’s  favour is the fact that majority of the senior members including acting BCCI president CK Khanna and IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla are against his hasty removal.

Team India are all set to play 5 ODIs and a lone T20 match versus the defending T20 champions between 23 June and 10 July.

Various media reports suggested that the friction between the Kumble and the team has been ongoing since the England series, and had continued into the Australia series as well. However, the good results did not reflect the unrest among the Indian camp.

A report in DNA had quoted unnamed BCCI officials as saying that the players had complained about Kumble being “too bossy” and imposing strict fitness standards.

According to an Indian Express report on 1 June, despite the efforts of few BCCI officials, and members of the Committee of Administrators (CoA) to establish peace between the duo, the differences between the coach and the captain were “almost irrevocable".

With inputs from agencies