When the match-fixing scandal came to the fore in the late 90s, Team India was so much in guilt that they played with hanged shoulders. It was Saurav Ganguly who took the command and filled the Indian team with positive aggression. The unfurling of his T-shirt in the Lords’ Balcony announced India’s aggression on the world stage. Ganguly’s aggressive leadership was called Dadagiri by some experts. Now, Dada is set to make another big change, but as a BCCI president.
Kumble to start his second inning as coach
Anil Kumble could return as coach of the Indian cricket team after the T20 world cup to be held later this year. With Virat Kohli resigning from the T20 captaincy, coach Ravi Shastri has also decided to relinquish his position as coach of the Indian cricket team. As reported by TFI, Kohli’s resignation also came at the insistence of Saurav Ganguly. Now, Ganguly is said to rope in Anil Kumble as the coach of the Indian cricket team.
Read more: It seems that it was Ganguly who “told” Kohli to quit T20 captaincy
Indian Team-an unstable unit after Dhoni
After Dhoni resigned from the captaincy in the limited-overs format, India was never a stable unit as a team. Virat Kohli and his favourite Ravi Shastri used to select teams based on their whims and fancies. Other than Kohli and Rohit Sharma, not a single player was sure about his position in the team. Even a man of the match performance in the previous match would not ensure that the player will be selected in the next match. The team selections were based on their adaptability of the condition and not the form.
No doubt, Kohli has been the best batsman of his generation, but his captaincy record and style have not been beneficial for the team. It is under him that our cricket team has got a “chokers” tag for losing key matches like semi-finals and finals of ICC events. After failing to score a century in 2 years, Kohli resigned from the T20 captaincy. Shastri’s resignation followed suit.
Kohli’s problems set to increase
Kohli’s problems are bound to increase in leaps and bounds. It is highly speculated that Ganguly wants Anil Kumble to be replacing Ravi Shastri as head coach of the team. Anil Kumble has been one of the most disciplined players and coaches of the Indian cricket team. He is regular when it comes to his fitness regime and has never been involved in any sloppy habits like other players and coaches. Based on advice given by the Cricket Improvement Committee (CIC), Anil Kumble was handed over the coaching responsibility of the team in 2016.
Saurav Ganguly was a key member of CIC. Kumble’s disciplined approach did not go down well with the team led by Kohli. Kohli’s led crop of players is in the league of ‘cool’ players, who along with playing cricket are also engaged in brand endorsing and other activities. The players sometimes tend to go haywire in financially capitalising on their cricketing success. Hardik Pandya’s fiasco on coffee with Karan is one such example.
Read more: Anil Kumble – Not the Accidental Coach
The differences with Kohli led to Kumble resigning from the post of coach after one year at the position. Ganguly being a member of CIC, did not have much power to reinstate Kumble as a coach. But, now with Ganguly as BCCI chief, he has all the powers in the world to reinstate Kumble and bring a disciplined approach to the team. It may turn out to be a bane for Kohli as his liberal policies with glamour-seeking players may lead to another scuffle between him and Anil. Ganguly being strict adherent to Kumble’s model of playing and coaching may force Kohli to resign from other formats as well.