Personality clashes do not bode well for cricket

Wrapped in mystery and the subject of media speculation, the developments between coach and captain are symptomatic of the star syndrome afflicting BCCI that historian Ramachandra Guha blamed for his recent resignation from the Supreme Court appointed Committee of Administrators. 

Such a divergence of views (and alleged clash of personalities) between captain and coach is not something new to Indian cricket or indeed cricket elsewhere. Such a situation erupted not long ago in England, leading to the resignation of the skipper, Kevin Pietersen, and the sacking of the coach, Peter Moores. Australia’s coach Mickey Arthur, too, had serious differences with his players, four of whom were fired on his recommendation, only for him to lose the job eventually.

Of course, the most infamous instance of such a conflict in recent history has been  the tussle between Greg Chappell and Sourav Ganguly. Ganguly was the first to go, losing his captaincy, and later his place in the side, though he came back and lifted his batting with a vengeance. 

As in the case of Kumble and Kohli, if we are to believe media reports, the Chappell-Ganguly spat was triggered by a serious clash of personalities. Like Chappell, Kumble is a disciplinarian and taskmaster. Unlike Chappell, he has maintained a dignified silence all along, except to explain his decision to quit. The only occasion he gave us any hint that his assessment of men and matters differed from Kohli’s was when he publicly acknowledged the value of Cheteshwar Pujara’s batting to the team after the captain disparaged Pujara’s strike rate. 

It is generally known that without Kumble’s insistence—and Kohli’s absence through injury— chinaman specialist Kuldeep Yadav would not have figured in  the fourth Test against Australia at Dharamshala in March this year and played a key role in India’s victory. I have a sneaking suspicion that had Kumble had his way, India’s squad for the Champions Trophy would have included a wrist spinner. Every other team had one, and gained from that.

The Kumble episode is yet another assertion of player power at the expense of a dedicated professional. The Chappell-Ganguly imbroglio had the media and cricket fans gunning for the Australian, but this time around, there seems to be a groundswell of sympathy for Kumble. 

There is talk of Virender Sehwag being the captain’s candidate—perhaps a flawed choice, if true, given Sehwag’s cavalier attitude to the game. Whoever is appointed, may however, have to play second fiddle to the captain. It doesn’t bode well for Indian cricket.