Brendon McCullum reveals 'captaincy race' led to fallout with Ross Taylor in 2012

Legendary New Zealand batsman and former captain Brendon McCullum has opened up on his relationship with Ross Taylor and how the fallout between him and Taylor in 2011 was "unfortunate". Ross Taylor was instated as the captain of New Zealand after Daniel Vettori stepped down from the role in 2011. Eventually, Taylor was replaced by McCullum in all formats by the end of 2012.

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New Zealand cricket: Brendon McCullum regrets fallout with Ross Taylor

As reported by PTI, Brendon McCullum spoke about his relationship with Ross Taylor and how the tussle for Kiwi captaincy ruined the relationship between the two. Brendon McCullum grew up playing developmental cricket with Taylor and the latter was even his vice-captain in the Under-19 phase. After it was reported that Taylor and then-coach Mike Hesson were going through a bad phase, New Zealand went on to lose a few more important series. Eventually, an opportunity for a new captain opened up in New Zealand Cricket, but McCullum felt that he should not have applied for the role.

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In retrospect, the explosive batsman revealed that he wanted to persist with Ross Taylor as the captain and grow the team from there. McCullum admitted that these happenings did strain the relationship that him and Ross Taylor shared. The two might still have some tension between them but that in no way means that McCullum does not respect the talent of New Zealand's highest-ever ODI scorer, he revealed in the interview. 

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IPL 2020: Brendon McCullum to become KKR's new coach

After the coronavirus scare made the BCCI have the IPL postponed, the future of the cricket extravaganza remains uncertain. If IPL 2020 happens, however, Brendon McCullum will be back in India as he coaches the Kolkata Knight Riders. McCullum is seen as an IPL legend and announced his arrival in the tournament by smashing 158* in the very first match of the Indian Premier League, back in 2008.

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