Anil Kumble Was Intimidating, A Disciplinarian Says New Book

MUMBAI (IANS) – Vinod Rai, the former chief of the Committee of Administrators that ruled the Indian cricket board for some years, has made a major revelation in his new book, claiming that he had explained to the former head coach of the team Anil Kumble about why he didn’t get a contract extension.

“I explained to him that even his earlier selection in 2016 had followed a process and that his one-year contract had no extension clause, we were bound to follow the process, even for his re-appointment. And that is exactly what was done,” Rai has written in his book titled, ‘Not Just A Nightwatchman: My Innings with BCCI‘.

Kumble was appointed as the head coach of the Indian team in June 2016 on a one-year term by the CAC. However, the tenure was cut short following a rumored rift between him and the then captain Virat Kohli. Rai, however, felt that both gentlemen maintained a dignified silence on the issues.

“It is indeed very prudent of captain Kohli to have maintained a dignified silence. Any utterance from him would have set off a fusillade of opinions. Kumble, on his part, too, kept to himself and did not go public on any issue that had transpired. That was the most mature and dignified manner of dealing with a situation which could have become unpleasant for all parties involved,” Rai wrote in his book.

“In my conversations with the captain and team management, it was conveyed that Kumble was too much of a disciplinarian and hence the team members were not too happy with him,” Rai claimed in his book.

“I had spoken to Virat Kohli on the issue and he did mention that the younger members of the team felt intimidated by the way he worked with them.”