Kumble said on Tuesday his position was “untenable” after Kohli questioned his leadership style and told the Indian board he had reservations about the spin legend extending his one-year stay. Since Duncan Fletcher left in March 2015, India, currently the world’s top Test team, have struggled for stability with Ravi Shastri and Sanjay Bangar both taking on temporary roles before Kumble’s reign.
“I have very little knowledge about the differences between Virat and Anil. But it is a really sad day for Indian cricket,” Gavaskar told NDTV. “India have won everything since the time Anil took over. I can’t see Anil doing much wrong in one year. Differences (can) happen in any team but see the results,” he added.
In his resignation letter, Kumble said his partnership with the captain was “untenable”. “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 wrote in the letter, which he tweeted on Tuesday. “I was surprised since I had always respected the role boundaries between the captain and coach,” he added.
The BCCI had denied any rift in the Indian camp, but Kumble’s letter confirmed media reports that board officials had tried to resolve the spat.
“Though the BCCI attempted to resolve the misunderstandings between the captain and me, it was apparent that the partnership was untenable and therefore I believe it is best for me to move on,” the former captain wrote.
India suffered defeat to Pakistan in the Champions Trophy final on Sunday, but Kumble also helped them reclaim the number-one Test ranking and maintained an unblemished record in five Test series. Former India captain and coach Bishan Singh Bedi also signalled his disappointment.
Kumble, 46, had already appeared headed for the exit after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) advertised for a new coach last month, although he was an automatic candidate. Former India opener Virender Sehwag and Australia’s Tom Moody are reported to be among the possible replacements for Kumble, whose contract ran out after the Champions Trophy.
Sehwag, who seems to be the frontrunner for the job, believes it would be tough for anyone to match Kumble’s success as coach. “The way this Indian team has performed under his coaching, I doubt whether anybody else will be able to replicate his success,” Sehwag told UC News, an online data provider. “I don’t know about his coaching style but as a player, as an individual and as a senior he is just brilliant,” said Sehwag, who played under Kumble’s Test captaincy.
A three-man panel of Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman, who picked Kumble in June last year, will deliberate over Kumble’s replacement. As well as Sehwag and Moody, reports say other candidates are Englishman Richard Pybus, who has coached Pakistan and Bangladesh, former India manager Lalchand Rajput and ex-paceman Dodda Ganesh.
The BCCI had urged Kumble to carry on as coach until the end of a West Indies tour starting June 23, but the former India captain did not travel with the team that left from England on Tuesday. “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,” said a board statement.
“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,” the statement added.
India will play five one-day internationals in the Caribbean, starting tomorrow, with a Twenty20 international wrapping up the trip on July 9.
