Ganguly vs. Chappell: The Unravelling
Perhaps the most infamous chapter in Indian cricket, the feud between captain Sourav Ganguly and coach Greg Chappell was a saga of leaked emails, public accusations, and a divided team. It began in 2005 when Chappell, newly appointed, reportedly asked
Ganguly to step down from the captaincy to focus on his batting. Things escalated when Chappell sent an email to the BCCI, which was later leaked, criticising Ganguly as 'mentally and physically unfit' to lead. The fallout saw Ganguly, one of India's most successful captains, dropped from the team entirely. The controversy became a national debate, even being discussed in Parliament, and marked a tumultuous period that many believe culminated in India's disastrous 2007 World Cup campaign.
Kohli vs. Kumble: An 'Untenable' Partnership
When two legends join forces, success seems inevitable. But the partnership between captain Virat Kohli and coach Anil Kumble proved to be a clash of styles that ended acrimoniously in 2017. Despite a successful year on the field, reports emerged of a strained relationship. Kumble eventually resigned after the Champions Trophy, stating in a public letter that his relationship with the captain had become 'untenable'. He noted that Kohli had reservations about his 'style' of coaching. According to a book by former CoA chief Vinod Rai, Kohli felt Kumble's approach was 'intimidating' to younger players, while Kumble felt he was treated unfairly and forced to resign. The episode highlighted the delicate power balance between a modern superstar captain and a legendary coach.
Gavaskar vs. Kapil: The Original Superstar Clash
Long before 24/7 news cycles, the tension between India's first two megastars, Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev, was palpable. Their relationship was a complex mix of professional rivalry and mutual respect, often fueling media speculation about a power struggle. The most controversial incident occurred in 1984, when captain Gavaskar was blamed for the decision to drop Kapil Dev for a Test match in Kolkata, reportedly for playing a reckless shot in a previous game. This led to crowd protests with banners like 'No Kapil, No Test'. Gavaskar has since maintained that he did not propose dropping his main match-winner and that the decision was made by the selectors. The incident, along with intermittent captaincy swaps, defined an era where two giants of the game wrestled for supremacy.
The Rumoured Rift: Kohli and Rohit Sharma
For years, whispers of a rift between two of India's modern-day batting maestros, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, were the biggest open secret in Indian cricket. Following India's exit from the 2019 World Cup, reports of factionalism within the dressing room intensified, suggesting a 'Rohit camp' and a 'Virat camp'. Both players repeatedly denied any issues in public. Kohli once called the rumours 'baffling' and 'ridiculous', questioning who benefited from such stories. However, former fielding coach R. Sridhar later confirmed in his book that tensions did exist and that then-coach Ravi Shastri had to intervene to get the two senior players talking and resolve the matter for the good of the team.
