While little can be understood about the inability of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to retain the services of former coach Anil Kumble, the way in which the governing body reacted to the reported rift between captain Virat Kohli and the former leg-spinner yet again showed Indian cricket in bad light.
Right from the timing of advertising for a new coach — right before India began their Champions Trophy title defence — to not making considerable efforts to douse the fire in the camp, the BCCI acted with little professionalism and it cost Team India a valuable asset.
Quite a few believe that the BCCI used Kohli to settle their scores with Kumble after the latter had come up with recommendations for revised player remunerations and met the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) regarding the same earlier this year.
Even as rumours of the rift were spreading like wildfire, the BCCI cared less to clear the air and only came up with a feeble reply. Notably, the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), comprising Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman, in an attempt to resolve the issue had only met Kohli during the Champions Trophy and concluded there was no major issue between the captain and the coach.
However, matters reportedly escalated and Kohli, who was not happy with the CAC's approach, expressed his discontent with the BCCI top brass in a meeting, in which Kumble was also present, immediately after the Champions Trophy final. And the 45-minute meeting, in which only the captain's voice was heard, was the last straw that forced the coach's exit, sources had revealed.
While it remains to be seen if BCCI will follow the norms properly while appointing the new coach, neighbours Bangladesh seem to have learnt a lesson or two from the Kohli-Kumble fiasco.
If BCCI hardly gave a thought to the implications of parting ways with one of the most successful coaches, the Bangladesh Cricket Board has confirmed they will be retaining head coach Chandika Hathurusingha until the 2019 Cricket World Cup amid reported interest from Sri Lanka.
Notably, Graham Ford resigned as Sri Lanka coach after his second tenure with the team last month and reports emerged that Hathurusingha had been approached to replace the South African tactician.
"Anyone can want him as coach, but we have not spoken to him about [Sri Lanka]. We have a contract with him until World Cup 2019. We are confident he will stay up to that period," BCB president Nazmul Hasan said, Cricbuzz reported.
While it remains to be confirmed whether Hathurusingha even responded to Sri Lanka's reported offer, the manner in which BCB handled the situation speaks volumes about their willingness to give the respect that the coaching staff deserve.
After Kumble stepped down as India coach, a few former cricketers, including CAC member Ganguly, had opined that cricket was a captain's game. While the result of a cricket match depends largely on what the players do on the field, a coach's role has proved to be important to produce the right results.
Bangladesh cricket has reached newer heights and has continuously improved since Hathurusinghe was appointed in 2014. Under the guidance of the Sri Lankan tactician, the Tigers went on to beat the likes of Pakistan, India and South Africa in ODIs at home before winning their first-ever Test match against England late last year.
Also, Mashrafe Mortaza's men returned to the Champions Trophy after a 11-year absence and made an immediate impact by reaching the semi-final of the quadrennial tournament.
