You don’t expect the captain and coach to agree on absolutely everything: Jason Gillespie

The speculated rift between Kohli and Kumble was finally confirmed when the latter stepped down from his position despite getting an extension for the West Indies tour. While the India squad was mid-way on their way to the Caribbean, Kumble did not travel with the team and stayed put in England where he met the CAC.

After meeting the three-man panel, Kumble for the first time came to know about the captain’s take on Kumble’s methods and took no time in handing in a resignation. During his one-year tenure, Jumbo produced great results winning 8 out of 10 series across formats. Kumble might be a hard task master but he had a great vision for Team India and got the right results. Kohli made his reservations against the former leg-spinner very clear to the CAC which unfolded everything.

Former Australia fast bowler Jason Gillespie, who now is an experienced coach having coached in England, Australia and Zimbabwe, was of the opinion that Kohli and Kumble didn’t look like getting along but that is not a prerequisite if both parties share the same vision.

“The overriding thing I would say is that if the captain and the coach have a shared vision, an overall goal, then how they get there is going to vary from situation to situation.”

“You don’t expect the captain and coach to agree on absolutely everything but if they’ve got a shared vision they’ll work through any potential (difficult) situations even if they might not see eye to eye.

Gillespie, who guided Yorkshire to consecutive County Championships in 2014-15, said that there shouldn’t be a ‘yes’ man either side.

“It needs to be a strong relationship, that’s for sure, they need to be on the same page,” Gillespie told cricket.com.au on the importance of a working coach-captain relationship.

“You don’t want a ‘yes man’ one way or the other.”

“Part of a good relationship between the captain and the coach is a good discussion and good debate – they certainly don’t need to agree on everything.”

Gillespie, however, conceded that if there has been a difference in personalities then Kumble has made the right call. He described Virat Kohli as a “big personality”.

“Virat is a fine player and done some fine things as captain and it appears from the outside there’s a bit of a clash of personalities.

“If that’s the case then everyone shakes hands and moves on. If it’s not working it’s not working.

“That’s probably the way Anil Kumble is looking at it. I read his statement and he basically said he likes to have good discussions about the betterment of the Indian side and he doesn’t feel that’s working, so he’s dusted himself off, shaken hands and walked away with his head held high.”

“That’s part and parcel of professional sport.”

Dr MV Sridhar will act as an interim coach until the CAC, comprising of Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman, appoints a full-time coach for the team. Sridhar will take over for the limited-overs series in the West Indies.

Former Australian Tom Moody is a frontrunner at the moment for the post along with former India opener Virender Sehwag. Gillespie, however, ruled himself out for the running for the moment.

“I haven’t put my name forward for the Indian role,” he said. “It would be a special role but I haven’t applied” concluded Gillespie.