Ramachandra Guha quits CoA after opposing Virat Kohli’s say on coach

Historian Ramachandra Guha informed the Supreme Court on Thursday that he put down his papers from the court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Guha’s counsel told the court that the historian had submitted his resignation on May 28 to Vinod Rai, who is the chairman of the CoA.

It was then learnt that three days before Guha resigned, he had given an ultimatum to BCCI CEO Rahul Johri about the repercussions of letting Virat Kohli and other players express their takes in the process of selecting the team coach. Anil Kumble’s tenure ends after the Champions Trophy, and since it has not been extended automatically, the hunt for the new coach continues.

It was further learnt that in a May 25 email, Guha expressed fears about the fairness of the selection process. He also opined that the coach had an “excellent” record during his year-long stint. He feared that by giving undue weightage to Virat Kohli’s views on the coach, the Indian board would be setting a precedent.

Dressing room atmosphere should not influence selection 

An official was quoted by the Indian Express saying that Guha was not against the procedure to select the coach but did not want the cricket committee — that of Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman and Sachin Tendulkar, to be influenced by whatever is happening in the Indian dressing room.

“He didn’t mince words. He put it on mail that the captain and coaches are already deciding commentators, and if they are allowed to pick the coach of their own choice, they will soon be deciding the selectors, even the CEO,” the official said.

Recent reports have confirmed that not all is good between skipper Kohli and coach Kumble, and this may be a huge hindrance in the quest of retaining the Champions Trophy.