Spin legend Erapalli Prasanna
Kolkata: Former India off-spinner Erapalli Prasanna yesterday took a dig at Virat Kohli saying that if the skipper feels he is the "boss" of Indian cricket then the team can do without a coach.
Prasanna sounded cynical in his response when asked about the rift between Kohli and Anil Kumble, who quit as India's head coach coach recently.
"Why do they require a coach, if the captain is the boss? I don't think they even need the services of batting or fielding coaches (Sanjay Bangar and R Sridhar)," the former spin great told PTI.
Prasanna also questioned Kohli's captaincy abilities. "Kohli is undoubtedly a very good player, but I do not know whether he is a good captain or not," he said.
Kumble quit as India coach in the aftermath of their Champions Trophy final loss to arch-rivals Pakistan, stating that Kohli had reservations about his coaching "style" and that their partnership was "untenable."
The Indian team will be without a coach in the tour to the West Indies, where they play five ODIs and one-off T20 match starting at Port of Spain yesterday.
"If a legendary cricketer like Anil Kumble is not respected, I do not think neither of them -- Bangar and Sridhar -- will have the guts to speak to Kohli in a confident way. None of them are as experienced like Kumble," Prasanna said.
"Just hire somebody for the physical training and that will be enough. If such is the attitude of a captain, I don't think you require a coach," the 77-year-old said, seemingly upset with Kohli's behaviour. "We can go back to the good old days of appointing a manager to look after logistics. The role of a coach is not defined."