It has been nearly two years since former India captain Anil Kumble stepped down as head coach over differences with captain Virat Kohli.
Kumble oversaw India's Champions Trophy campaign in England in 2017 when the Kohli-led side finished runner-up following a 180-run loss to arch-rival Pakistan.
Kumble, whose one-year contract with the team was set to expire a few days after India's Champions Trophy campaign, was given an extension by the BCCI.
READ| Laxman: ‘Pandya, Rahul will learn from their mistakes’
However, the former leg-spinner, in a statement published on social media, claimed that Kohli had reservations over his coaching style which eventually prompted him to resign.
The fall-out left a bad taste that was to linger for a while. Former India batsman V. V. S Layman, part of the three member Cricket Advisory committee (CAC) comprising Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly, entrusted with the task of selecting India's next coach at the time, has now thrown light on the entire incident.
"No one sacked Kumble. There was an issue as far as Kohli was concerned. He wasn't comfortable with Kumble's style," Laxman said in a discussion titled 'The Sublime Cricketer' at the Hindu Lit for Life fest 2019 here on Monday.
"The BCCI called the CAC to sort it out. We felt Anil did a fantastic job but the circumstances led him to resign. If I was in his position, I'd have done the same," he added.
Laxman clarified the committee's stand on the issue. "As far as the CAC was concerned, we mentioned Anil was the one to take India forward. That was what we told the BCCI.
"Once Anil resigned, there was again applications and we thought Ravi (Shastri) was the best option. It wasn't Virat's choice.
"Anil is a legend of the game. His contributions to Indian cricket are immense. So the bad press he got during the Champions Trophy was uncalled for. He didn't deserve it."
Comments
SHARE