Will Never Reveal Details Of Dressing Room, Says Virat Kohli

India skipper Virat Kohli, on Thursday (June 22), declined to reveal his side of the story that ultimately led to Anil Kumble stepping down as the head coach of the team.

Kumble’s shocking and unexpected resignation concluded the nasty turn of events that surfaced during the build-up of the recently-concluded ICC Champions Trophy. Reports of a rift between Kumble and Kohli had shifted the focus away from the game but Kohli managed to calm things down by quashing all the reports and stating that those were just speculations by people who were not even part of the dressing room.

However, everything came to the fore when Kumble revealed the reason behind his sudden decision to step down. The former India skipper said that he chose to walk away after knowing about Kohli’s reservations over his ‘style’ of coaching.  And with Kumble’s statement making it clear that everything was not fine between him and Kohli, people were eagerly waiting for the India skipper to reveal his side of the story.

However, the India skipper has decided to keep things private.  Speaking ahead of the series opener against Windies, the 28-year old, while saying that the team totally respects Kumble, insisted that what happens in the change-room, remains with the players and the staffs.

“Obviously Anil bhai has expressed his views and he’s taken the decision to step out and we will respect that decision. It’s something that has happened right after the tournament. One thing for sure is that I’ve had 11 press conferences that have happened during the Champions Trophy. We have created a culture over the last 3-4 years that whatever happens in the change room, we’ve tried to maintain the sanctity of the change room throughout,” he said when asked whether the whole situation could have been handled better.

That is what the whole team believes in. For us that is paramount. I’ve always respected that and we have continued to maintain that as well. As I said, it’s his opinion which I respect. I have total respect for him as a cricketer and what he’s achieved as a nation. All the years that he’s played. That’s no taking away that aspect of him at all. And we all respect him totally,” he added.

Meanwhile, Team India will look to bounce back after the heartbreaking loss in the final of the Champions Trophy when they take on Windies in the first of the five-match ODI series on Friday (June 23) at Port of Spain.