Sources in Indian team tell mid-day that not a single player was in favour of the head coach Anil Kumble continuing when a member of Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) spoke to them in London
Anil Kumble and Virat Kohli
Anil Kumble and Virat Kohli
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One of the members of BCCI's three-man Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) met as many as 10 players during the recent Champions Trophy to seek feedback on head coach, and not even one player was in favour of Anil Kumble continuing on the job, mid-day has learned.
Sources also said some players had even stopped following established protocol implemented by Kumble during his reign as coach.
Also Read: Gavaskar: If cricketers want a coach who let's them go shopping, Anil Kumble is the wrong man
"There were some rules he had put in place from his first tour last year, which were ignored during the Champions Trophy," a source disclosed.
Virat Kohli may have refused to admit that India buckled under pressure against Pakistan in Sunday's Champions Trophy final here at The Oval, but he might be the first to admit that it was the demands of coach Anil Kumble that led to the fallout between the Indian captain and him.
"He was putting too much pressure on the players," a member of the Indian team told mid-day before departing to the West Indies.
Kumble, who quit as head coach on Tuesday, was apparently putting the players under the pump far too much and had 'unrealistic' expectations which created a negative vibe in the dressing room.
It is also understood that when a member of the three-member Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) met as many as 10 players during the tournament, not a single member was in favour of Kumble continuing as coach.
The cracks appeared to surface during the Champions Trophy when some protocol implemented by Kumble during his reign as coach were not followed by the players. "There were some rules he (Kumble) had put in place from his first tour as coach in the West Indies last year, which were ignored during the Champions Trophy," a source disclosed.
While the source didn't specify the rules, he hinted that Kumble's style of functioning had led to less freedom compared to when Ravi Shastri was in charge as Team Director from 2014 to 2015-16.
It may be recalled that Kumble came into the reckoning at the last moment when Shastri was all set to become coach last year. Reportedly, the former leg-spinner was told to apply for the post by Ganguly.
While it is not known when Kumble told the players about his decision to step down as coach, the fact that batting coach Sanjay Bangar handed out a lot of the instructions during the practice session before the final at The Oval was a strong indicator that Kumble had been side-tracked as early as last week.
Differences with coaches are not unprecedented in Indian cricket. In 1996, Sandeep Patil was sacked as coach after only six months into the job. It was reported then that the players did not approve of Patil, who was replaced by S Madan Lal.
The biggest coach issue concerned Greg Chappell, who had major differences with captain Sourav Ganguly in 2005.
12 No. of Tests India won under Kumble out of 17 matches
Also view photos: Virat Kohli vs Anil Kumble: The rift that led to Jumbo's departure
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