The Board of Control for Cricket in India acting secretary Amitabh Choudhary had pleaded ignorance when the rift between Virat Kohli and Anil Kumble was an open secret, and on Monday, defended his statement made during the Champions Trophy.
Choudhary, who was also in England during the event, had then dismissed reports claiming serious differences between Kohli and Kumble, eventually leading to an acrimonious exit of India’s head coach.
“Smoke without fire statement concerning Kohli-Kumble differences was made in real time when I didn’t see any smoke,” Choudhary said.
Choudhary, on the eve of the Champions Trophy had said: “I’m not aware of any [Reports of a rift between Kohli and Kumble]. It’s purely in the realm of imagining.”
“I frequently speak with the players,” added Choudhary and also said, “I don’t see any problem at all,” when asked about the equation between the captain and the coach.
He also reiterated that the final call on the new coach will be taken by the Cricket Advisory Committee, comprising of former greats Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman.
The BCCI has already made it clear that the coach will be appointed before the Sri Lanka tour next month. The Indian team is currently without a coach in the West Indies with batting coach Sanjay Bangar and fielding coach R Sridhar continuing their duties.