Kumble steps down as India’s coach despite Tendulkar-Ganguly-Laxman’s recommendation

Anil Kumble on Tuesday stepped down from his role as head coach of the Indian cricket team, the BCCI confirmed in a press release.

“Kumble has withdrawn his services as the post of the Head Coach for the Senior India Men’s team,” said the release. “While the Cricket Advisory Committee had endorsed an extension to his tenure as Head Coach, Kumble has decided not to continue as the coach.”

The resignation comes after weeks of speculation of a rift between him and skipper Virat Kohli.

Earlier, reports had emerged that Kumble did not travel with the Indian team to the Caribbean for a limited-overs tour as he had to attend the International Cricket Council’s annual conference in his capacity as chairman of the governing body’s Cricket Committee.

The conference started on Monday and will end on Friday, the day India play their first One-Day International against West Indies in Trinidad.

While the Board of Control for Cricket in India is currently in the process of finalising India’s next coach, reports suggested that its Cricket Advisory Committee and the Supreme Court-mandated Committee of Administrators were in favour of having Kumble stay on as coach till the end of the West Indies tour in July, which is now confirmed by the BCCI’s release.

The BCCI had said that India’s current administrative staff would be continuing in their respective roles. However, Kohli reportedly conveyed his “strong reservations” about Kumble in a meeting with the CAC on June 17.