“No one sacked Kumble,” Laxman on Kohli-Kumble row

Laxman on Kohli-Kumble row: Former India batsman was vocal about the infamous Kohli-Kumble row in 2017.

Former India batsman VVS Laxman, who is a member of the CAC (Cricket Advisory Committee) alongside Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly, recently opened up on the sour relationship between former India coach Anil Kumble and India captain Virat Kohli.

During the ICC Champions Trophy 2017, there was a dissent between Kohli and Kumble which ended up putting a full stop in front of the latter’s tenure as India Head Coach after he resigned citing his relationship with the captain as ‘untenable’. The news did the rounds in the media in a way that it shouldn’t have.

Speaking in a discussion titled ‘The Sublime Cricketer’ at The Hindu Lit for Life fest 2019 in Chennai, Laxman cleared the air regarding Kumble not being sacked. “No one sacked Kumble. There was an issue as far as Kohli was concerned. He wasn’t comfortable with Kumble’s style. The BCCI called the CAC to sort it out,” Laxman said.

Praising Kumble’s role during his stint, Laxman let it out on the circumstances behind his resignation. “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 further said.

Considering it as undeserving for Kumble, Laxman also talked about ‘bad press’ which came his way during the Champions Trophy. “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,” he concluded.

CAC, which was formed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India to take advises on vital measures regarding Indian cricket, had elected Ravi Shastri as Kumble’s replacement.