Former Indian captain and iconic leg-spinner Anil Kumble stepped down as coach of Indian cricket team on Teusday. Whereas BCCI was ready to give a two-week extension to Kumble, he declined and sent his resignation to the BCCI CEO.
The announcement emerged just one day after it was reported that skipper Virat Kohli was displeased with Kumble and had conveyed “strong reservations” over the iconic leg-spinner continuing as the coach to the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) appointed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
Kumble too clarified that BCCI had informed him that Kohli had reservations with his style of play and his continuance as a head coach. The iconic former player claimed that the partnership was untenable and it was best for him to move on.
The task of selecting the new coach was given to the three-member CAC, comprising great players like Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman. However, they were given an option to retain kumble for the post. In 2016, BCCI acting President C K Khanna wrote a letter to the acting secretary after which it seemed that Anil Kumble might be retained as the Team India coach.
ALSO READ: BCCI acting president CK Khanna asks secretary to retain Kumble
In his letter, Khanna had urged the BCCI secretary to defer the recruitment process until the end of the West Indies tour. Back then, it was speculated that even the high-profile Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), comprising Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman, is in favour of retaining their longtime former India teammate.
Earlier, Kumble didn't accompany the team to the West Indies for a limited-overs series starting June 23, citing his commitment to an ICC meeting at London.
The official reason was given that Kumble was 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.
The ICC Annual Conference started on Monday and will continue till June 23. Kumble’s Cricket Committee meeting will be held on June 22.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) decision to not renew the one-year long contract of Anil Kumble as the coach and inviting fresh applications also stoked up the issue and is thought to be one of the reasons for the legendary leg-spinner's resignation.
Meanwhile, former Indian batsman and hard-hitting opener Virender Sehwag, has also applied for the position of the head coach of the Indian team currently in England to defend their Champions Trophy title.
The CAC will have to recommend one nominee from the other five applicants - Virender Sehwag, Tom Moody, Richard Pybus, Lalchand Rajput or Dodda Ganesh before the BCCI-COA committee takes the final call. Ravi Shastri, with whom Kohli shares an excellent working relationship, could also join the race given his familiarity with most of the current batch of India's cricketers.
Various reports had speculated that cracks had developed in the Kohli-Kumble relationship and thus BCCI was hunting for a new coach.
READ: Viru plays it down the line, sends 2-line application for coaching job
However, in spite of the apparent tensions, Kumble had a brilliant run as coach for 1 year. The Virat Kohli led Indian team won 5 Test series and rose to the top of the Test rankings under his guidance. India won 10 out of the 13 home Tests with two draws and a single defeat under the maestro's coaching.
The Indian team defeated the mighty Aussies and Englishmen and the Kumble-Kohli duo was hailed as one of the greatest partnerships of modern era.
Even in the One Day format, Kumble guided the team to the recently concluded Champions Trophy finals with his efficient coaching. Moreover,
India also won the ODI series against New Zealand and the limited-overs series against England under the iconic player's coaching.
Kumble has written his name in the annals of cricket history with his 619 wickets in Tests. He is the third highest wicket-taker in the history of Test cricket after fellow spinners Muttiah Muralitharan and Shane Warne.
As far as Indian cricket records are concerned, he surpassed legendary all-rounder Kapil Dev to establish his name as the highest wicket taker the country has ever seen.
Further, he also became the second man to take 10 wickets in a Test match after Jim Laker when he bamboozled Pakistan on a Feroz Shah Kotla pitch.
He was also a potent force in One Day Internationals where he grabbed 337 wickets. Apart from being a fierce competitor on the field, Kumble was renowned as a gentleman off the field. He will always remain a role model for future cricketers.
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