Virat Kohli on finally broke his silence on his rift with former India coach Anil Kumble. Speaking to the media ahead of the first ODI against West Indies in Port of Spain, Kohli reacted to Kumble's statement while resigning from his post a earlier this week.
Here's is the full text of the statement made by Kohli on Thursday:
Reporter: Now that the rift is out in the open and Anil Kumble has resigned, what do you have to say?
Kohli: See, obviously Anil bhai has expressed his views and taken a decision to step out. We all respect that decision, it's something that has happened right after the tournament. One thing for sure being that I've had 11 press conferences that have happened during the Champions Trophy, we have created a culture over the last 3-4 years that whatever happens in the change room, we have tried to maintain the sanctity of the change room throughout. That is what the whole team believes in and for us that is paramount. I have always respected that and maintained that and will continue to maintain that as well. As I said, it's his opinion and point of view which I respect. And I have total respect for him as a cricketer and what he has achieved for the nation in all the years that he has played. There's no taking away that aspect from him at all. And we all respect totally as a cricketer.
Reporter: Do you think his approach in any way affected the team's performance?
Kohli: Like I said, for me what's most important is to maintain the sanctity of the change room, and what happens in the change room is something that's very sacred and private to all of us. It's something that I would not express in details in a public scenario. Having said that, his point of view is out there and we respect that.
Kohli on Thursday deleted his year-old tweet welcoming Kumble's appointment as the national cricket team coach, further exposing the bitterness that had crept in. Kohli deleted the post on the microblogging site close on the heals of the spin legend's decision to resign from his post due to "untenable" differences with the captain.
Soon after Kumble's appointment, Kohli had tweeted on June 23 last year, greeting him with a smiley and expressed hopes of a great future under his guidance. "Heartiest welcome to @anilkumble1074 Sir. Look forward to your tenure with us. Great things in store for Indian Cricket with you" Kohli had posted on his official twitter handle, which he has deleted now.
Kumble, who was given a one-year tenure, quit from his position as the head coach after the final of the Champions Trophy. Although the BCCI Cricket Advisory Committee, comprising Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman, wanted him to continue but Kumble relinquished his position, stating that his relationship with Kohli became "untenable".
According to reports, Kumble and Kohli had a major fallout in the the beginning of the year and were not on talking terms for the last six months. The situation worsened further after India's humiliating loss to arch-rivals Pakistan in the Champions Trophy final. Kumble did not travel with the team to the West Indies, and later officially tendered his resignation.
(Inputs from PTI)
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