Players mature quickly under new team culture - Kohli

[Tibarn]

http://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/20339894/players-mature-quickly-new-team-culture-virat-kohli

 

Quote

This Indian team has rid itself of a culture in which newcomers were picked upon and judged, according to Virat Kohli. Though he didn't specify whether that culture was something that existed in teams before his captaincy, or the one that Anil Kumble coached (and of which Kohli was captain), the assessment has the potential to be interpreted as a dig at a previous tenure.

 

Though the whitewash of Sri Lanka could be seen as a continuation of a sterling run of Test successes, with Ravi Shastri having replaced Kumble as coach, a line has been drawn under that tenure and this. Kumble left ultimately because of what he cited as an "untenable" relationship with Kohli, and after some players had complained of his "intimidating" style of man-management.

 

And whether or not Kohli was referring to those issues, he was clear that a new culture was emerging. "Culture can only be built when everyone buys into it," Kohli said. "And the way that can happen is when you don't have any judgements, people coming in and if you don't look at them with a critical eye, watching everything they are doing and trying to pick on small things. I think that is something that we have gotten rid of totally.

 

"In this team, we are more like a bunch of friends playing together rather than a senior or a junior. We don't even think of the number of games an X has played or a Y has played within the change room. It is all about who you see every day. You can joke around with anyone inside the group, and that I feel is something that makes me feel proud of this particular unit. The way we have embraced each other and accepted each other with our different personalities and individuality, and that is the reason why people coming in feel like they don't have to do anything different from what they know already. It gives them an opportunity to go out there and believe in themselves and you never know. If you keep the environment like that, then people will take lesser time to go out there and become mature cricketers because they don't feel any pressure from the group itself. That I feel is something we all are proud of because we have been able to create that together."

That's a pretty damning statement by Kohli. Who do you guys think he is condemning: Kumble's tenure as coach or Duncan Fletcher-Dhoni's tenure? 

 

I'm thinking he is talking about Kumble as coach. 

[Ankit_sharma03]

This definitely sounds like a shot at kumble, one thing that was clear that kumble wasnt a good man- manager

People blamed kohli, but a story wud definately had the other side. Kumble like Chappell might have the right ideas but ur man-management isnt good no one will trust u . 

[goose]

Yawn...he needs to shut it. Dhoni was just like this when he started, give Kohli a few years that equality in the dressing room will soon go.

Edited August 14, 2017 by goose

[gattaca]

Why take a dig at kumble ? He is no longer in team. He should just be happy that we blanked Lanka. Even though they are weak we did it first time away from home. When he is down and loosing would he still talk about team culture.

[Shunya]

Unfortunate to see such comments even when we are winning. False aggression, if not opposition go against your own men. They would have blamed Kumble left,right, center if we had lost. Blowing their own trumpet ever since Shastri has come in. Too shallow if they continue to take digs at every chance they get. 

[Rightarmfast]

He is talking like some spokesperson from BJP. All fart and no ****

[Temujin Khaghan]

or maybe Kohli wasn't referring to Kumble at all and Cricinfo is digging a conspiracy where there is none. 

 

it was Sachin - Saurav - Rahul - Anil these four players who changed the vicious bullying and hierarchical set up in the dressing room. during the days of Kapil and Azhar the juniors would get regularly bullied. There are stories of Manoj Prabhakar, Sidhu and other players of that era even slapping junior players who had a bad day. Srinath hasn't found his voice until Kapil left. 

 

Anil Kumble might have been a uncompromising martinet, but lets not accuse him of being part of a "bad dressing room culture"

[Temujin Khaghan]

I would say its a very irresponsible article by Cricinfo. 

[nevada]

I can't believe that Kumble was bad at man management. He did a fine job as captain and no one had any negative feedback against him. Ishant's famous spell to Ponting was during Kumble's time as captain. He praised his captain iirc. When Kumble retired, Dhoni carried him on his shoulders doing a lap in the stadium. That is a spontaneous gesture which is done only when someone has respect and admiration for another person.   Even in IPL Kumble led the disastrous RCB to the final in season 2 with youngster Manish Pandey doing great.  He too had only good things to  say about his captain as far as I can remember.        .                                            Kohli should focus on being positive and really encourage youngsters instead of merely making statements. His reluctance to pick Pant and Kuldeep, his ill treatment of Pujara, support of project Raina in tests at the behest of cheerleader Shastri are all too well known. Even amidst all these home series wins, he went awol during the biggest series of all against the Aussies. Let him do well and guide the team to at-least a respectable draw in a tough overseas series and then gloat about that success. Right now is premature.