Vinod Rai says Kohli will not have any say in who the next coach will be

What’s the Story?

Head of Committee of Administrators (CoA) Vinod Rai has bashed any rumours of captain Virat Kohli having a say on who the next coach of the Indian cricket team would be. Rai stressed on the fact that the cricket advisory committee comprises of three of the best Indian cricketers in the form of Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, and Sourav Ganguly.

"CAC (Cricket Advisory Committee) comprises three of our most important and best cricketers. Their credibility, nobody has ever doubted. What we have done is we have enlarged the zone of consideration because we want to get a coach who is competent to train a team for the World Cup," said Rai after a meeting of the CoA in Mumbai.

The BCCI had also extended its deadline for accepting applications for the post of coach.

"See, you apply for something and we feel that we want for others to also apply. Why should it be unfair on anybody? Why shouldn't we go for the best that is available globally. And if you give them seven days to apply, if somebody can't apply, we have to - we need to choose a coach who will get to know the team and be there till the World Cup. And that's why we have done that,” said Rai.

In case you didn’t know...

Shortly after India’s campaign at the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 which saw them finish as runners-up to Pakistan, Anil Kumble stepped down as the head coach of the team due to the differences he had with Kohli.

Kumble’s contract was supposed to end after the Champions Trophy and the BCCI had invited fresh applications for his post but he was asked to continue on as the coach for the West Indies tour as well. Unfortunately, he resigned as the team travelled to the Caribbean.

The Details:

Rai praised Kumble and said that he was impeccable as the coach of the team. He also stressed on the fact that India would go for an equally good professional to ensure that whether it is the captain or manager, there should be cohesion in the team.

He also accepted the fact that there were bound to be differences between the captain and coach, given the fact that they had to spend a lot of time together during Kumble’s tenure as coach.

What’s next?

India are currently touring West Indies with no coach. MV Sridhar, who is the general manager of cricket operations is overlooking the side in the Carribean.

Author’s Take

After all that has happened, it is important that there is transparency in the selection process of the next coach of the Indian cricket team. Kohli himself has come under a lot of unnecessary criticism for Kumble’s resignation and it is important that the next coach should not have a healthy relationship with the players.