Younger members of the team felt intimidated by Kumble: Vinod Rai on what Kohli said

The rift between Virat Kohli and Anil Kumble during the latter's tenure as India's head coach is no secret. Two legends from two eras of Indian cricket having a frosty relationship as Indian cricket team captain and coach is arguably one of the most unsettling chapters. As a result, Kumble resigned from his role in 2017 and just a year after that; he called his partnership with Kohli became 'untenable'.

Vinod Rai, who headed the Committee of Administrators (CoA), threw light on the saga  Not Just a Nightwatchman — My Innings in the BCCI. He wrote, "In my conversations with the captain and team management, it was conveyed that Kumble was too much of a disciplinarian, and hence the team members were not too happy with him. I had spoken to Virat Kohli on the issue, and he did mention that the younger members of the team felt intimidated by the way he worked with them."

He further said that the former spinner felt unfairly treated and was upset the way entire episode had been discussed. He recalled the long conversations he had with Anil Kumble after the latter had returned from the UK. 

In excerpts published by The Indian Express, Rai quoted, "He felt he had been unfairly treated and a captain or team should not be given so much importance. It was the duty of the coach to bring discipline and professionalism into the team and as a senior, his views should have been respected by the players."

The Cricket Advisory Committee that ran Indian cricket for three years had legends like Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman. They spoke with both Kumble and Kohli at the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy in England to resolve the differences. 

"They felt that the differences were fairly severe, and maybe it was only the CAC that would be best suited to have a thorough discussion with both of them."

However, even after the committee recommended Kumble's reappointment as the head coach, Kumble decided to step down. 

"Soon, the CAC met in London and interacted with the two separately in a bid to resolve the issue. After deliberations over three days, they decided to recommend Kumble's reappointment as the head coach," Rai wrote.

Before resigning, Kumble mentioned, "Captain has reservations about my 'style' and my continuing as Head Coach."