Internet Desk: Legendary Indian off-spinner Erapalli Prasanna on Friday slammed current India skipper Virat Kohli and said if Kohli thinks he is the “boss” of the team then the Men in Blue can do whatever they want without a coach.
Prasanna said all these regarding the rift between Kohli and Kumble for which the veteran leg-spinner had to leave his chair after the ICC Champions Trophy 2017.
“Why do they require a coach, if the captain is the boss? I don’t think they even need the services of batting or fielding coaches (Sanjay Bangar and R Sridhar),” the former spin great said.
Prasanna also questioned Kohli’s captaincy abilities.
“Kohli is undoubtedly a very good player but I do not know whether he is a good captain or not,” he said.
Kumble stepped down from his chair after India’s humiliating defeat in the Champions Trophy final against arch-rival Pakistan and in a statement he said the captain had reservations about his “style” of coaching and his partnership with Virat was “untenable”.
The Indian team will be without a coach in the tour to the West Indies, where they play five ODIs and one-off T20 match starting at Port of Spain later on Friday.
“If a legendary cricketer like Anil Kumble is not respected, I do not think neither of them – Bangar and Sridhar – will have the guts to speak to Kohli in a confident way. None of them are as experienced like Kumble,” Prasanna said.
“Just hire somebody for the physical training and that will be enough. If such is the attitude of a captain I don’t think you require a coach,” the 77-year-old said, seemingly upset with Kohli’s behaviour.
“We can go back to the good old days of appointing a manager to look after the logistics, if he (Kohli) takes up the responsibility. The role of a coach is not defined,” he added.
Prasanna further said the time has come for India to look beyond old warhorses like Yuvraj Singh and Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
“I don’t think they will be able to continue till the next World Cup in 2019, they will be 38 then. We need fresh and young legs and players who are extremely agile,” he said.
“Okay, Dhoni will be the wicketkeeper but Yuvraj is going to be a liability as a fielder. In fact, the selectors should have tried out more youngsters for this West Indies tour, as they are one of the weakest teams at the moment.”