Anil Kumble Speaks About Virat Kohli & Co. For The First Time Since Stepping Down As Head Coach
Former India head coach Anil Kumble spoke about Virat Kohli & Co. for the first time since controversially stepping down from his post in June this year.
Kumble was enjoying a highly successful stint with the team before he dropped the bombshell on June 20. A couple of days after this year’s Champions Trophy in England, the bowling legend stepped down from his position and stated that Virat Kohli’s reservations over his ‘style’ of coaching were the reason behind it. That everything was not well between Kumble and Kohli was widely speculated after news of an alleged rift came to the fore in the buildup to the Champions Trophy.
However, Kohli dismissed those rumours during his pre-match press conference before the tournament-opener and the way India performed in the tournament everything seemed fine. But as soon as the tournament ended, Kumble made things crystal clear by not only resigning from his post but also released a statement, revealing the reason behind the decision.
Since that unfortunate episode, Kumble had maintained a low profile, not making any comment on the team or any player publicly. However, the former India skipper finally broke his silence on Saturday (December 16) when he attended the annual Sports Writers Association of Bangalore (SWAB) awards ceremony in Bengaluru where he won the “Coach of the Year” honour.
Kumble praised Virat Kohli & Co. before stating that the current team can win in South Africa in the upcoming series. India will take on the Proteas in three Tests, six ODIs and three T20Is.
“India can create history in South Africa and beyond. I am very confident about the team,” Kumble said after receiving the award on Saturday.
Kumble, meanwhile, bagged the award after his stellar spell with India where he guided the team to series wins over over Windies, New Zealand, England, Bangladesh and Australia. In his last assignment, the team made it to the final of the Champions Trophy.
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