Kohli is doing all he wants: Bedi on Kumble-Kohli saga

What's the story?

Legendary Indian spinner Bishan Singh Bedi has expressed his reservations regarding the far-reaching influence being enjoyed by captain Virat Kohli. Referring to the star batsman's infamous spat with then head coach Anil Kumble last year, the 72-year old feels that the Delhi dasher has been running the team in the manner he sees fit.

During a panel discussion at Sahitya Aaj Tak, Bedi insisted, "That is what I am saying, one person (Virat Kohli) is doing all he wants and we are letting it happen. What would Anil (Kumble) have said, he was gracious to leave it like that."

Elaborating on his views on Kohli's ability on the field, Bedi affirmed, "In my humble opinion, there is hardly anyone more intense than Kohli but there is a world of difference in his intensity and the team's. Similarly, Virat Kohli as a player and Virat Kohli as a captain, there is a world of difference."

The background

During the 2017 Champions Trophy, Kohli had a major fall out with head coach Anil Kumble. Revealing that the skipper had serious reservations on his functioning style and him continuing in the role, the iconic leg-spinner stepped down citing that their partnership had become untenable.

The heart of the matter

Following Kumble's resignation, Kohli faced plenty of flak for wielding excess power in matters of management. Eventually, he was also alleged to have played a key role in the appointment of Ravi Shastri as the subsequent head coach.

Ahead of the Indian team's departure to Australia, Kohli recently found himself having to vehemently reject allegations of Shastri being a yes man. Alluding to the examples of himself as well as Shikhar Dhawan (during his earlier tenure as team director), the Indian skipper lavished high praise on the former all-rounder's man-management skills and his role in pulling out of form players out of lean phases.

With Steven Smith and David Warner unlikely to have their bans shortened and therefore missing from the Australian camp, there's a general perception that the upcoming tour presents India with their best ever opportunity to win a Test series on Australian soil. However, Bedi is remaining cautious regarding India's chances.

The veteran asserted, "The Indian team is good, we all know that but the same team went to England and South Africa and those teams were also "weak". Yes the bans have happened on two kids (Smith and Warner) but a team is not made of two individuals. In fact, our team is made of one person, everything is about Kohli. The amount of focus there is, you don't realise how much pressure you are putting on that kid (Kohli) both as a batsman and a captain."

What's next?

India are set to begin their tour of Australia with a three-match T20I series. The first of those matches will be held at the Gabba on Wednesday.