Veteran leg-spinner Anil Kumble on Friday deplored attempts to make Rahul Dravid "a scapegoat" for India's debacle in the World Cup and warned against any drastic action.
At a press conference, where he announced his retirement from one-day cricket two days after returning from the Caribbean along with the rest of the team, Kumble maintained that "no emotional decisions" should be taken in the aftermath of the debacle.
"It is unfortunate that Dravid is being made a scapegoat. Captaincy is a hard job. It's a team loss. People think that players are not disappointed after losing a match. But players and their family really feel hurt and disappointed," he said.
"We need not take any drastic steps. I feel that the World Cup squad which went to Caribbean was the best that was selected. Unfortunately, It did not go our way," he added.
Kumble said the batting did not live up to expectations and a lot of things about the team's poor performance in the mega event need to be discussed.
"It was one of the bad starts in the World Cup. Our batting did not live up to expectations. I don't think we need any drastic changes in the team. A lot of things need to be discussed. I am sure we will come up stronger after this World Cup defeat," the 37-year-old spinner said.
Asked about the previous World Cups he played, Kumble replied, "We had a good chance in the 1996 World Cup. In 1999 we lost to Zimbabwe which cost us the World Cup. In 2003, it was a great opportunity and we reached the final but lost to Australia.
Kumble said he was keen to finish his ODI career on a high note, but was disappointed that it did not happen the way he had wished.
"It's always nice to finish on a high note. Unfortunately, it does not seem to happen. There is not always a fairytale end. Hopefully it will happen when I leave Test cricket," he said.
Kumble hoped that the BCCI Working Committee in the first week of next month would help solve the current problems in Indian cricket.
"There are a lot of things to be discussed at this moment. I think BCCI is doing it quite soon and I am sure some good things would come out of that (meeting)," he said.
"It's not the 15 players who go out and perform. I think a whole lot of other issues are also important. I think Board will take up all these things and rest will follow," he said.
