Nothing wrong with Team India dressing room under Anil Kumble: Wriddhiman Saha

Mumbai: Team India Test wicket-keeper batsman Wriddhiman Saha has admitted that the atmosphere at the dressing room during Anil Kumble’s tenure as head coach was normal, and according to him there was nothing wrong.

“See, I get along well with everybody. I never felt that way. We used to crack jokes, have fun. I strongly feel the same will happen when Ravi Bhai (Ravi Shastri) will come. During the Test matches I didn’t see anything wrong. I have no clue if anything had happened during the ODIs,” said Saha to Sportskeeda.

Saha, who last played an ODI for India against Sri Lanka in 2014, said that the former head coach always encouraged him to play better.

“Firstly, we went to West Indies under Anil Bhai (Anil Kumble) and he said that I should play as the way I play for Bengal. He asked me not to take much pressure. He shared his experiences with the team which was a great help,” he said.

Anil Kumble, who was appointed as India’s head coach last year, had quit from the post last month following a rift with captain Virat Kohli.

Former Team Director and cricket commentator Ravi Shastri was then appointed as the head coach earlier this week. Along with him, Zaheer Khan was assigned as the bowling coach whereas Rahul Dravid was named as the batting coach for overseas tours.

Wriddhiman Saha, who has been included in the Test squad for India’s tour of Sri Lanka, added that whoever came in as the coach, the main priority of the team was to win matches.

“This is not our decision and as players our only aim is to win matches. Every coach has a specific duration and we have to accept it. Ravi Bhai (Ravi Shastri) gave some great inputs when he was the director of the team and now I am looking forward to getting some more valuable inputs from him,” the Kings XI Punjab player stated.

He also said that he was happy with Virat Kohli being India’s captain.

“Virat Kohli is a true leader. Since the time I started playing, he has been really good to me. He gets close easily with all the members. Not only on the field, but off the field as well,” he said.

“The team has a great unity under Virat, we enjoy each other’s success. Like Mahi Bhai (MS Dhoni), Virat always motivates players and comes up with positive words in all the situations. Virat has created a positive environment in the dressing room,” he commented.

Virat Kohli’s Team India will play a complete series in Sri Lanka, starting with the first Test at Galle on July 26. This will be Ravi Shastri’s first assignment as India’s head coach.