‘Why are egos so bloated?’: Twitter slams Kohli for 'forcing' Kumble to step down as India coach

Just days ago, Virat Kohli could do no wrong in the minds of the cricket-mad Indian public. He was winning games for India with panache and swagger.

The last few days, though, have not been the smoothest for the 28-year-old. If India’s unexpected humbling at the hands of Pakistan in the Champions Trophy final wasn’t enough, coach Anil Kumble surprised everyone by stepping down from his post after a vastly successful one-year tenure.

We are unsure if it was the double or something else, but the folks over on Twitter have been left reeling. Tweets have been flowing thick and fast over Kumble’s decision to step down, with Kohli getting slammed for his hand in forcing Kumble to move on.

A legend had a sly tweet up his sleeve

A former cricketer weighed in

The Bollywood analogy

Ego tussle

Some folk failed to wrap their heads around something so trivial as a difference in opinion. Clearly, Indian cricket has become commonplace for fragile egos and delusional ‘superstars’

The ‘warrior’ from the past

If one grew up watching cricket in the 1990s and the early 2000s, Kumble was a key figure in the star-studded Indian side. What he lacked in guile and artistry, he made up with his unlimited reserves of will, and maximising what he was good at.

Some of them turned nostalgic and went back to the summer of 2002, where a heavily bandaged Kumble came out to fight for his team’s cause against West Indies and dismissed star batsman Brian Lara.

Arrogant and Egoistic

A vast majority of the fans turned the heat on Kohli, questioning his so-called ego and attitude. There were some who demanded answers for how a coach was not given a contract extension despite boasting of a successful track record.