Kohli, Kumble did not talk much, says manager

New Delhi, July 4: Kapil Malhotra, who was Team India’s manager for the Champions Trophy, has made a startling revelation, saying that he did not see much communication between skipper Virat Kohli and former coach Anil Kumble during the tournament.

“I did not see much communication between the coach and the captain. Personally, I did not witness any arguments between the two,” Malhotra said in his report submitted to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

“Initially When I met Mr Anil Kumble I found him to be slightly reserved, but as the tournament progressed I found him more approachable,” he added.

The head coach position has been vacant since Kumble’s resignation following India’s 180-run defeat against arch-rivals Pakistan in the Champions Trophy final at the Oval on June 18.

Earlier, the legendary leg-spinner informed that Kohli had reservations about his work ‘style’ and his extension as the head coach, which prompted him to resign.

In a strongly worded letter, Kumble took to Twitter to reveal the reason behind his surprising decision. Kumble said that although the BCCI had, several times, attempted to resolve the misunderstandings between him and the captain, it was apparent that the partnership was untenable, and therefore, he had decided to move on. The statement from Kumble confirmed the reports about Kohli’s alleged spat with Kumble regarding differences of opinion on selection matters.

Ravi Shastri, Venkatesh Prasad, Virender Sehwag, Tom Moody, Richard Pybus and Dodda Ganesh along with Lalchand Rajput are in fray for post of India head coach.

— ANI