Five big coach-captain controversies in cricket

The Indian cricket board (BCCI) is all set to name a new coach on July 9 after Anil Kumble stepped down from the post following a rift with captain Virat Kohli.

The flamboyant Ravi Shastri, according to Indian media, is the favourite to become the new Indian coach.

According to reports in Indian media, Kohli and several Indian players were uncomfortable to play under Kumble - a strict disciplinarian.

But this episode didn't really turn out to an ugly one as both Kumble and Kohli were dignified in their responses to the media on this issue.

Cricket, however, has seen several ugly public spats between coaches and captains.

Today we bring you five such clashes.

Sourav Ganguly vs Greg Chappell

It was probably the biggest coach-captain controversy in world cricket. Ironically it was Ganguly who advised the BCCI to hire the Australian as coach. But things took an ugly turn when Chappell wanted Ganguly to step down from captaincy. What followed next was one of Indian cricket's most embarrassing episodes. Ganguly lost his captaincy, but the Indian team under new captain Rahul Dravid, never took off and Chappell's contract wasn't renewed after India were knocked out of the 2007 World Cup from the group stages.

Sachin Tendulkar vs Kapil Dev

Sachin Tendulkar and Kapil Dev are two of the greatest Indian players ever. But they never got along when Kapil was named coach of the Sachin-led Indian team in 1999. Sachin was never convinced about Kapil's ability to coach. "I have always maintained that the coach's job is an important one, for he is in a position to play a key role in formulating team strategy. However, his method of involvement and his thought process was limited to leaving the running of the team to the captain, and hence he did not involve himself in strategic discussions that would help us on the field," Sachin wrote in his autobiography Playing It My Way.

Shahid Afridi vs Waqar Younis

They never got along as coach and captain in 2011. And after a poor performance against the West Indies, Waqar called Afridi 'immature and poorly disciplined' in a report. The maverick all-rounder was sacked as captain by PCB. Waqar also stepped down.

Wasim Akram vs Javed Miandad

Wasim Akram and some of the other Pakistan players refused to play after coach Javed Miandad made match-fixing allegations against them. Miandad soon resigned as he said his 'conscience did not allow him to continue as coach'. Pakistan, nevertheless, played some of their best cricket in one-day history as they went on to reach the 1999 World Cup final in England.

Sourav Ganguly vs John Buchanan

The Australian was named coach of the Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL in 2008. Local hero Sourav Ganugly was the captain. But they never got along. Questions were raised on Buchanan's coaching methods as Ganguly stepped down as captain. Star New Zealand player Brendon McCullum replaced Ganguly, but in 2010 Buchanan was sacked and Ganguly returned as Knight Riders captain.

Source: Khaleej Times