India will seek to put cricket in the forefront

Spain: Captain Virat Kohli will look to put to rest, all the off-field controversies regarding Anil Kumble’s controversial exit, as India gear up for the first ODI against a second string West Indies, here on Friday.

Ironically, it was the Caribbean Islands, where Anil Kumble’s journey as the chief national coach started but within a year, the team is back without its coach.

Skipper Kohli, whose much publicised differences of opinion with coach Kumble, have grabbed the headlines more than team’s performance in the Champions Trophy, couldn’t have asked for a more convenient opposition than the West Indies, which even struggled against minnows Afghanistan.

A cluster of big wins in the five-match ODI series and a single T20 will help Kohli divert the unnecessary attention pinned on him with him emerging as the ‘fall guy’ in the entire coach-captain episode.

This will also be an occasion when Kohli will have complete freedom in team selection as batting coach Sanjay Bangar is not known for giving any tangible inputs save giving throwdowns to the senior players of the side.

With Jason Holder’s men just about managing to draw the three-match ODI series against Afghanistan 1-1, there is no doubt that the current Indian team are a few notches ahead in terms of quality.

Even Kohli knows that well and with BCCI top brass backing him on the Kumble issue, the margin for error is very little for the Indian captain.