Ramachandra Guha opens can of worms

New Delhi: Historian turned cricket administrator Ramachandra Guha has raised tough questions in his resignation letter, which surfaced on Friday, a day after he left his post, reinforcing reports of an alleged rift between coach Anil Kumble and skipper Virat Kohli.

Guha quit the Supreme Court-appointed four-member Committee of Administrators that oversees the BCCI, and backed an extension for incumbent coach Anil Kumble.

He also questioned the BCCI’s dormant role in handling the reported rift between Kumble and Kohli, which continues to gather momentum since it broke into public domain several das ago.

Addressing CoA chairman Vinod Rai in his farewell letter, Guha wrote: “The Indian team’s record this past season has been excellent; and even if the players garner the bulk of the credit, surely the head coach and his support staff also get some.”

Under Kumble, the team won all five Test series since his appointment in June last year.

India’s Champions Trophy title defence, which begins on Sunday against Pakistan, has been overshadowed by disagreements over tactics and team composition.

The 59-year-old academic also criticised a ‘superstar syndrome’ prevalent in BCCI circles, questioning the preferential to Sunil Gavaskar and Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

The CoA’s dormant role in these matters was criticised by Guha, who added said former pacer and ICC match referee Javagal Srinath or any other respected male cricketer should replace him on the panel.

Former India cricketer Madan Lal termed the controversies “unfortunate” and said the whole issue could have been handled in a far better way.

“The timing of the controversy is all wrong. This issue is going on and on. Things should be allowed to settle down,” Lal told this paper.

The 1983 World Cup winner also felt that the Kumble contract issue should have been put on the table after the conclusion of the Champions Trophy.

“It should have been done after the ICC event. You are playing an important tournament. The whole focus should be on that. It should have definitely been organised in a better manner,” Lal added.

He observed that it wasn’t clear what exactly transpired between Kumble and Kohli that has led to reports of an alleged rift. Because of the controversy, the focus was no more on cricket and the team would be blamed should they fail to live up to expectations.

“What transpires between Kohli and Kumble, only they know. If tomorrow, the team doesn’t do well, all blame will fall on the team members,” he said.