'The matter between Kumble and Kohli should have been handled a lot better, by whoever was in charge. It was not handled properly.'
Coach Anil Kumble and captain Virat Kohli's dressing room rift after India's ICC Champions Trophy final loss should have been handled in a matured way, former skipper Sourav Ganguly said in Kolkata, on Tuesday.
One of the three members of the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) that has the power to pick the coach, Ganguly blamed the Board of Control for Cricket in India for the mess.
"The matter between Kumble and Kohli should have been handled a lot better, by whoever was in charge. It was not handled properly," he stated.
Kumble stepped down as India's coach last week stating that the 'partnership between him and captain Virat Kohli was untenable and hence it was best to move on'.
The search for India's new coach to replace Kumble took a new twist on Tuesday as Ravi Shastri, the former team director, decided to apply for the position and appears to be a front runner a year after Kumble was favoured over him.
Shastri had openly blamed Ganguly for his ouster, claiming that the former India captain as member of the CAC, lobbied for Kumble to replace him and convinced the other panel members, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman.
"Everybody has got the right to apply. We will find out. I can also apply provided I'm not an administrator," Ganguly said.
Ganguly, who is the president of Cricket Association of Bengal, was also named in a seven-member committee headed by Indian Premier League chairman Rajiv Shukla to identify the "few critical points" in the implementation of the Supreme Court order.
"We will have to listen to committee of administrators. I am not exactly sure what will happen but I will find out," Ganguly, who is the only cricketer in the panel, said.
Meanwhile, the CAB will have an emergent meeting on July 1 to discuss the way forward with the reforms suggested by the Supreme Court-appointed Lodha committee.
"We did not have SGM last year. Till the reforms are done it won't happen. We have informed the members of the meeting to discuss what's the way forward," Ganguly added.
