No Need Of A Coach If Kohli Thinks He Is The Boss: Prasanna

Former India off-spinner Erapalli Prasanna took a dig at Virat Kohli and said if the current skipper feels he is the "boss" of the Indian cricket then the team can do without a coach.

Prasanna sounded cynical in his response when asked about the rift between Kohli and Anil Kumble, who quit as Indian cricket team coach recently. "Why do they require a coach, if the captain is the boss? I don't think they even need the services of batting or fielding coaches (Sanjay Bangar and R Sridhar)," the former spin great said.

Prasanna also questioned Kohli's captaincy abilities. "Kohli is undoubtedly a very good player but I do not know whether he is a good captain or not," he said.

Kumble quit as India coach in the aftermath of their Champions Trophy final loss to arch-rivals Pakistan, stating that Kohli had reservations about his coaching "style" and their partnership was "untenable".

The Indian team will be without a coach in the tour to the West Indies, where they play five ODIs and one-off T20 match starting at Port of Spain later on Friday. "If a legendary cricketer like Anil Kumble is not respected, I do not think neither of them -- Bangar and Sridhar -- will have the guts to speak to Kohli in a confident way. None of them are as experienced like Kumble," Prasanna said.

"Just hire somebody for the physical training and that will be enough. If such is the attitude of a captain I don't think you require a coach," the 77-year-old said, seemingly upset with Kohli's behaviour.

"We can go back to the good old days of appointing a manager to look after the logistics, if he (Kohli) takes up the responsibility. The role of a coach is not defined," he added.