THE HINDU Editorial Vocabulary-May 31, 2017- Topic 2
The Kumble factor
The Indian
cricket team should have been exuding confidence as it begins its title defence
in the ICC Champions Trophy in England from June 1 to 18. It comes off a long
and successful season at home, and in the normal course of things the buzz
would be about India’s match against Pakistan at Birmingham on June 4, given
how rarely the traditional rivals play each other these days.
However, all is
not right in the dressing room, and there is distracting speculation about an
imminent change in leadership. It started with the Board of Control for
Cricket in India calling for fresh applications for the head coach’s post since the
incumbent, Anil Kumble’s one-year contract will end after the Champions Trophy.
The BCCI clarified that Kumble would have a direct entry for the process, but
the last-minute scramble, just as Virat Kohli’s men landed in England, raised
questions. There had been enough time for the Board to take a call on the head
coach, whether it meant retaining Kumble or opting for a new candidate. It did
not come as a surprise, therefore, when leaks surfaced about Kumble seeking a
higher pay package for the Indian players and support staff. Disgruntled BCCI
officials painted Kumble as a man extracting his pound of flesh, and the
anti-Kumble campaign was sharpened with suggestions that Kohli
is not comfortable with his “overbearing” ways.
Such talk
about differences between coach and skipper does nobody any good. Whatever be
the nature of their alleged differences, the Kumble-Kohli combination has
delivered excellent results. While there could be the odd difference of
opinion, on the field it is entirely the captain’s call on how to guide the
team. Last year in the West Indies, when Kohli preferred Rohit Sharma over
Murali Vijay in the third Test at Gros Islet, Kumble backed his decision.
Victory in the West Indies and a golden run at home against New Zealand,
England, Bangladesh and Australia are a testament to Kumble’s and Kohli’s
man-management skills and a validation of the talent within the ranks. The unsavoury
tidbits planted in the media about Kumble are a terrible contrast to the can-do
spirit with which he took charge as coach in June 2016. Now, the Cricket
Advisory Committee comprising Kumble’s former team-mates Sachin Tendulkar,
Sourav Ganguly and V.V.S. Laxman has an unenviable task. They have to sift
through fresh applications, besides having to assess Kumble’s performance, and
then take a call on who should be the head coach. Positions of authority in
cricket teams usually have a four-year cycle coinciding with the World Cup.
Ideally, the next head coach, be it Kumble or somebody else, should be given a
contract till the 2019 World Cup in England. The focus must be on the demands
of cricket.
Vocabulary
Exuding: discharge
(moisture or a smell) slowly and steadily.
Example: The beetle
exudes a caustic liquid
Synonyms: give
off/out, discharge, release, emit, issue, ooze, weep
Buzz: move
quickly or busily.
Example: She buzzed
along the highway back into town
Synonyms: bustle, scurry, scuttle, hurry, rush, race, dash, tear
Imminent: about to
happen.
Example: They were
in imminent danger of being swept away
Synonyms: impending, close (at
hand), near, (fast) approaching, coming
Incumbent: currently
holding office.
Example: The
incumbent president had been defeated
Synonyms: current, present, in
office, in power, reigning
Scramble: a
difficult or hurried clamber up or over something.
Example: An
undignified scramble over the wall
Synonyms: clamber, climb, trek
Disgruntled: angry or
dissatisfied.
Example: Judges
receive letters from disgruntled members of the public
Synonyms: dissatisfied, discontented, aggrieved, resentful, fed
up
Testament: something
that serves as a sign or evidence of a specified fact, event, or quality.
Example: Growing
attendance figures are a testament to the event's popularity
Synonyms: testimony, witness, evidence, proof, attestation
