Anil Kumble's ouster: The good guy doesn't win in reality

Anil Kumble stepped down as coach of the Indian team on Tuesday evening. It was a decision that didn’t surprise many, given the reports of rifts between Kumble and Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli.

To Kumble’s credit, he did everything a coach was supposed to do. He told the team of their strengths and weaknesses, ensured they worked as a unit, and brought home several wins – including satisfying home successes against New Zealand, England and Australia, along with an away win against the West Indies. The only downside during his tenure as coach was the loss against West Indies in the United States, and the final loss against Pakistan in the recently concluded ICC Champions Trophy 2017.

Kumble as coach is similar to Kumble as captain. He led from the front, even if he wasn’t on the field and stood up for players, while telling them exactly what he expected out of them. It’s the trait of a good leader. And these are traits that define Virat Kohli as a captain.

Now, when you have a captain and coach, who are equally headstrong and passionate about the game, there are bound to be ego clashes. Each of them believes that they are the alpha, and their call is the last. While it did showcase a professional Indian cricket team that delivered clinical performances, that would make Steve Waugh’s Australia proud, it appears as if ‘locker room talk’ told a different tale.

The combination may have worked to gel a unit, but maybe we need someone headstrong and someone to watch from the background. It’s probably why a MS Dhoni-Gary Kirsten or a Sourav Ganguly-John Wright combination worked so well for Indian cricket.

So while reports suggest that Kohli wants Ravi Shastri to be part of the Indian set-up, it’s going to be another Anil Kumble part 2. Simply because Shastri likes to be in the forefront of everything. He is opinionated, has passion for the game, and isn’t afraid to call a spade a shovel.

And while Indian cricket may be poorer without Kumble’s wisdom, maybe it’s time we looked at someone the players can look up to and who has an astute mind to be there for the Men in Blue, but at the same time willing to stand in the shadows.

Rahul Dravid, are you reading this?