Furore over BCCI CEO's Windies trip to meet Kohli on India Coach issue

A senior BCCI official has claimed that it made no sense for Johri to travel all the way to the Caribbean to meet Kohli, especially when there are two senior administrators with the team in West Indies who can easily pass on the team’s feedback to the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) and the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators.

"I have no idea why Johri is headed to West Indies for a meeting with the captain. Does that mean that Kohli is not comfortable discussing the team's take on the next India coach with Sridhar or Malhotra? Also, there is always something call tele-conferencing. If the decision to appoint BCCI officials as managers is considered as a way of pleasing members of state associations, doesn't the decision to send Johri all the way also raise eyebrows? Strange how everything the COA decides is fine," the official said, reported CricketNext.

Johri is set to land in Jamaica on Wednesday evening to have a detailed discussion with Kohli on the appointment of the coach and other support staff. One of the possible reasons why Kohli’s opinion has been given so much importance is the fact that Kohli had ‘reservations’ over former coach Anil Kumble’s style and coaching methods, which led to Kumble handing in his resignation on June 20th.

However, Kohli had earlier made it clear that he would air his view only if the BCCI asked him to. "From a personal point of view, I can't pinpoint anything or give details. We as a team, contrary to a lot of perceptions, only voice our opinions when asked by the BCCI for suggestions. So that is something we have always gone through as a process and that's something we respect as a team," he said.

While it has been learnt that Virender Sehwag and Ravi Shastri have emerged as the front-runners to be the next Indian coach, the official also had doubts over the idea of having former players as managers, given that it could give rise to ego battles between the manager and the players.

“The role of a manager is like that of a diplomat representing the country. Only, in this case, he will be representing the board in the country where the team will be playing. The manager’s job also includes looking into the day-to-day activities of the team and ensuring that all functions are carried out smoothly. Now, what if a former player who is travelling with the team as manager, starts interfering in the selection policy?" he enquired.

"Also, it could lead to ego issues if a former player is asked to do daily chores like handing out allowances to players, checking if the team logistics are in place and also arrange for families of the players when they are accompanying the cricketers on tour,” he concluded.