Kolkata: Some of his teammates may have considered Anil Kumble ‘strict’ but India’s Test wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha never felt that about the former coach, who quit after a bitter fallout with skipper Virat Kohli after the Champions trophy in June.
Saha was asked here Friday about the perception of Kumble being strict but he had a different take to offer.
“I did not feel that (strict) way. As a coach, he had to be strict in some way or the other. Some have felt he is strict, some have not. I have never felt that way under Anil bhai,” Saha told reporters on his return from Sri Lanka.
He was then asked to compare Ravi Shastri’s style of coaching with that of Kumble. “Anil bhai always wanted us to score big – 400,500 and 600 and felt that the opponent can be bowled out within 150-200. That’s not always possible,” he smiled and said.
“Ravi bhai, on the other hand, always tells us to go for the kill. Go out there and hit the opponent out of the park. This is the only difference I could see. Rest, both spoke positive stuff. When Ravi bhai was director, he was aggressive. In his new stint, he seems to have become more involved,” said the 32-year-old.
Saha also heaped praise on Kohli pointing out that the captain remains involved with the players even off the field. “He (Kohli) is improving with time and his association with players has increased. We dine together and go for outings together. He is always mingling with us, which I see as a plus point in him,” the Bengal stumper pointed out.
The wicketkeeper-batsman also attributed Sri Lanka’s ‘poor temperament’ for their downfall in the three-Test series which India won 3-0. “From the batting point of view, their temperament was weak. It helped us. One session they held fort but we knew they would run out of patience in the next session. That is exactly what happened,” Saha stated.
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