Kohli 'reservations' forced Kumble resignation

The speculated rift between Anil Kumble and Virat Kohli was confirmed as reality on Tuesday when the India coach stepped down from his role, saying his partnership with the captain had become “untenable”.

While Kohli denied any feud with Kumble on the eve of India’s opening Champions Trophy clash on June 4, it was the skipper’s influential words to the country’s governing body, the Board of Control for Cricket in India, that led Kumble to end a successful, albeit brief, run as head coach.

According to Kumble’s tweet following his resignation, Kohli had “reservations” about the coach’s style and role moving forward, and it was those reservations that forced the Test legend’s hand.

"I was informed for the first time yesterday by the BCCI that the captain had reservations with my 'style' and about my continuing as the head coach," Kumble’s tweet said.

"I was surprised since I had always respected the role boundaries between captain and coach.

"Though the BCCI attempted to resolve the misunderstandings between the captain and me, it was apparent that the partnership was untenable, and I therefore believe it is best for me to move on."

The rumours of the divide between captain and coach started when Kumble’s job was advertised prior to the Champions Trophy.

The 46-year-old had not lost a Test series since taking over the post in June last year but was still asked to reapply for his position, sparking rumours that the leadership duo were not on the same page.

Both the BCCI and Kohli hosed down any concerns about the relationship with Kumble, reinforcing the request to reapply was just part of the process that had been outlined 12 months earlier when the 132-Test veteran signed on.

"There have been a lot of speculations and a lot of things being written by people without actually being a part of the changing room, which is very strange," Kohli said on the eve of India’s opening Champions Trophy clash with Pakistan in Birmingham.

"There are no problems whatsoever. If something is put in place as a process, I don't see why people are creating so many speculations about it. It's been followed last time as well, and I didn't see any issues being created last time. It's the same process.

"It's just happening after 12 months. And there are no issues whatsoever."

Full story: Kumble steps down as India coach

Despite the differences between captain and coach, the BCCI offered Kumble a contract extension based off the recommendation of the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), a three-man panel made up of champions Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Sourav Ganguly.

However Kumble opted to decline continuing in the position. 

"The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirms that Mr Anil Kumble has withdrawn his services as the post of the Head Coach for the Senior India Men's team," the BCCI said in a statement Tuesday night.

"While the Cricket Advisory Committee had endorsed an extension to his tenure as Head Coach, Mr Anil Kumble has decided not to continue as the coach."

Now the CAC must find Kumble’s replacement, with former Australia allrounder Tom Moody and former India opener Virender Sehwag believed to be among the candidates who applied for the role.

All of this follows India’s thrashing at the hands of arch-rivals Pakistan in the Champions Trophy final, where Kohli’s side lost by 180 runs at The Oval on Sunday. 

Dr. MV Sridhar will act as interim coach for India’s limited-overs tour of the Caribbean while the CAC will restart their search for a full-time replacement for Kumble.