Days after the speculation of a rift between Indian cricket team's captain Virat Kohli and head coach Anil Kumble, the latter has stepped down from his post.
Earlier, it was reported that Anil Kumble has not accompanied the Indian team to the West Indies for a limited- overs series starting June 23, citing his commitment to an ICC meeting here.
The official reason being given is that Kumble is required to stay back for the ICC 'Annual Conference' as he is the chairman of the Cricket Committee in-charge of taking a call on laws and regulations of the game.
During the entire Champions Trophy, there was hardly any communication between captain Virat Kohli and Kumble during the practice session, with chief coach mostly keeping to himself or giving some practice to the bowlers.
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It is being widely perceived in the BCCI that in the meeting between Kohli and Cricket Advisory Committee, comprising -- Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman -- the skipper made it clear that his relationship with the coach has reached a dead end.
As per a BCCI source, Kumble said "he doesn't want to continue with the team".
It is reported that he turned down the offer given to him by BCCI's Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) on Tuesday, which was Kumble's last day as India head coach.
Kumble was appointed coach in June 2016 for a one-year term by the CAC and was instantly successful. Under him, India won Test series against West Indies, New Zealand, England, Bangladesh and Australia.
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And he was being considered the front-runner for an extension till the 2019 World Cup, with Team India having won almost every series under him in the past one year.
Reports were surfacing about Kohli's alleged spat with Kumble regarding differences of opinion on selection matters.
However, Kohli, before India's opening encounter at the Champions Trophy against Pakistan rejected the reports of him having rift with the head coach, saying they were mere speculations which have been created by the people.
The BCCI has already invited applications for the position.
While Dodda Ganesh, Lalchand Rajput, Richard Pybus and Tom Moody had submitted applications for the post of head coach, former Indian opener Virender Sehwag forwarded a two-line cover letter to the management.
Kumble had a successful year-long stint with the Kohli-led team and his tenure will conclude with the ongoing Champions Trophy in England.
In 17 Tests, Kumble saw India win a dozen, drawing four and losing just one against Australia.
India even retained the number one stop in Test ranking under Kumble's term.
And recently, the Men in Blue made it to the finals of the Champions Trophy where they lost to Pakistan on Sunday.
(With agency inputs)
