The Kohli-Kumble controversy shows how success and frail egos can form a deadly cocktail

(Editor’s note: This piece was originally published on June 01, 2017)

The most surprising thing about the entire Virat Kohli vs Anil Kumble controversy is the Indian skipper’s silence on the matter.

Given that the reports started tumbling in just after the team left for England, where they will be competing in the Champions Trophy – the timing was suspicious. Indeed, it made one wonder whether someone in the BCCI was behind all of this. But Kohli’s refusal to say anything on the matter makes one wonder whether he himself is behind this.

Now, just for a moment, hark your mind back to the World Twenty20 in England when Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his side were inundated with reports of a rift between the skipper and Virender Sehwag. Dhoni’s side were looking to defend a title they had so famously won in 2007 and could have done without these distractions.

So what did Dhoni do? He decided to parade the entire team in front of the media and denied that there was any rift. It may have seemed gimmicky but it showed that Dhoni wanted the controversy out of his team’s system. It showed that he wanted the team to concentrate on the cricket alone.

He also read out a statement:

“This message is for the people of India and for Indian cricket fans world wide and comes from the whole team. Recent reports in the Indian media of a rift between myself and Sehwag amounts to nothing but false and irresponsible media reporting. Our fans and supporters can take confidence from the wonderful unity that continues to exist in the team. As we prepare for the T20 World Cup we are a superbly unified team. The team spirit is as good as it has ever been with each individual supporting each other – both on and off the team. We thank our fans for their continued support and look forward to entertaining you during this tournament, which we go into well prepared, unified as Team India and confident.”

Once this was done, he refused to answer any questions on the matter and simply got on with life. It was unconventional but it showed that he was putting the team before self.

Kohli’s silence, on the other hand, shows that perhaps he has given his tacit approval to the plan which again is bad form and even worse timing (given that the Champions Trophy is just about to start). Also, it seems like a perfect example of Kohli’s ego getting the better of him.

John Wright and Sourav Ganguly are one of Indian cricket’s most celebrated captain-coach duos but even they had their issues. As he writes in his book Indian Summers, Wright would often come up with intricate plans and discuss them at length, only to see Ganguly try something completely different in the middle. It was frustrating as a coach to see Ganguly do his own thing.

But at the end of the day, they knew they were doing it because they wanted India to get better. A captain and a coach often agree to disagree – that is the nature of their jobs and if they can’t do it in a cordial manner, then perhaps the coach does need to part ways with the team.

The reports say Kumble is overbearing, too strict, like a headmaster and nothing like Ravi Shastri. But Duncan Fletcher wasn’t a Gary Kirsten just as Greg Chappell wasn’t a John Wright. Each individual has his own way of working and so far Kumble’s methods have got India great success in every format and shouldn’t that count for something. If a coach’s job is to get the team ready, Kumble did that and he did it well.

However, a big difference between the jobs that Kirsten, Chappell and Wright had to do and what Kumble deals with... is the number of young millionaires that are now part of this team. With money come the frail egos and a false sense of importance. Earlier, you would try and fit in because it took a number of years before you were comfortable in a financial sense. Now, you are already there and that can sometimes stop you from thinking straight.

Kohli has usually been someone who doesn’t stop short of speaking his mind. He is just as happy to pay the aggressor back in his own coin as he is in calling a spade a spade. So why has he chosen to remain silent on this issue?

He doesn’t need to do a Dhoni; he doesn’t need to parade the team in front on the media – but a tweet, an Instagram post or even a press conference would do much to clear the air. A coach needs to work well with a captain but at the same time, a captain also needs to work well with a coach. If a captain thinks he is untouchable then he is on a slippery slope.

Given that Kohli is usually on the ball, this kind of slip shows that he has a long way to go before he can fill Dhoni’s shoes. Being a captain is not just about dealing with things on the field but also off it and in this regard, Kohli clearly has some growing up to do.