Cricket Scandals: What Ended the Kohli-Kumble Partnership?

The Indian team secured various historic wins, and players were also filled with aggression and grit. Being the captain of the team in 68 Test matches, he led the team to win 40 games. However, with the successes and failures, there were also various controversies surrounding Kohli’s captaincy. One such controversy, which made the headlines, was between him and former coach Anil Kumble. Let’s take a look at the controversy between Virat Kohli and Anil Kumble and how it led to strained relations.

Kohli & Kumble: The Good Start

Before Virat Kohli and Anil Kumble had strained relations, their start together was much quieter and respectful. It should be noted that both players have been a part of the RCB franchise at the same time, and have also played together in multiple seasons. Rahul Dravid captained the team in the 2008 season, after which the captaincy of RCB went to Anil Kumble.

Thus, Anil Kumble was among the first captains under whom Virat Kohli played in the Indian Premier League. Also, it was the establishment phase for Kohli, and he was not as aggressive and as good as we know him today. Kumble saw the inner aggression and big batsman under Kohli and thought it to be good to give him opportunities.

Various fans also say that in the initial stages of the IPL, Kumble’s captaincy and his presence left an everlasting impact on Virat Kohli. This is because Kohli went on to be the aggressive captain himself when he led the Indian team for several years, getting involved in the game to a great extent.

When Virat Kohli and Anil Kumble played together, RCB also reached the finals of the Indian Premier League in 2009. Unfortunately, the team fell short by chasing the target, but the season was memorable, and Kohli also played a supporting role for the batting line-up.

Playing under an experienced player, Anil Kumble, Virat Kohli also built his approach to team dynamics and leadership. During their time together in RCB, both players shared a mutual bonding and respect, due to which fans thought it was a reunion when Anil Kumble was appointed as the Head Coach of the Indian cricket team in 2016.

The Kohli Era in Whites

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the greatest captain in the limited-overs format, announced his retirement from Test cricket during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2014-15. At this time, he went on to hand over the Test captaincy to Virat Kohli, and that is also when his era as the captain began for the Indian cricket team.

When Kohli was newly appointed the captain of the team, he played under the coach Ravi Shastri, who served as an interim coach for the Indian team from 2014 to 2016. Under his leadership, the Indian team achieved new heights in the Test format, securing overseas wins against Sri Lanka and the West Indies. The Shastri-Kohli duo was dominating in just a short period of time, and it also developed the fierce aggression of Captain Kohli.

Ravi Shastri’s term as the interim coach came to an end, and Anil Kumble was appointed as the Indian team’s Head Coach on 24 June 2016. After his appointment, fans thought they would be getting a healthy reunion in the Indian team, as two former teammates in the IPL will now be working together.

Anil Kumble and Virat Kohli’s duo was also able to dominate in the Test format. India had a big home season coming, when Kumble took over as the head coach, and the team went on to win every series. They won against the West Indies (2–0), New Zealand (3–0), England (4–0), Bangladesh, Australia (2–1), and also the one-off Test against Bangladesh.

Under Virat Kohli’s captaincy, the Indian team regained its spot as the number 1 Test team, and things were going well. But the Golden era of the Indian cricket team surely didn’t last long, as there were some internal rifts between the captain and the coach duo.

Kumble’s Exit: More Than Just Resignation

Virat Kohli and Anil Kumble’s fallout remains one of the most talked-about controversies in Indian cricket. What started as a dominant captain-coach duo came to an unexpected end, leaving a lot of questions for the fans. Some of these questions have been answered, while the others persist in the minds of fans in the Indian cricket scenario.

It should be noted that Anil Kumble was appointed as the Head Coach of the team at the suggestion of stars such as Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, and many more to the BCCI. The Indian team tasted success on multiple occasions under this duo, but the louder the noise of success was, the higher the issues stood in the dressing room.

By 2017, there were rumours regarding the rift between Virat Kohli and Anil Kumble, which basically took place due to their different perspectives and natures. Anil Kumble was more strict and straightforward, and this style didn’t suit the captain, Virat Kohli, and most of the Indian players. At that time, the team comprised youngsters, and Kohli is known as a player-friendly captain.

Although Anil Kumble is one of the most respected players in Indian cricket, his nature didn’t suit the captain and most of the players, who reported about the same directly to the BCCI. With such actions, the team still continued its dominance in all formats, but there were equal tensions in the locker room.

The matter took the next stage when Anil Kumble tweeted after India’s loss against Pakistan in the 2017 Champions Trophy. He revealed that his actions and coaching style didn’t match the captain’s. It was also revealed that the BCCI informed Kumble regarding Kohli, saying that the captain had “reservations with his style.”

Anil Kumble went on to resign as the coach of the Indian cricket team on 20 June 2017, following which Ravi Shastri was announced as the new coach of the Indian cricket team. The Shastri-Kohli duo continued the dominance of Indian cricket, leading the team to win the BGT in Australia for the first time in history. This success by the new captain-coach duo also overshadowed the controversy that took place between Virat Kohli and Anil Kumble.