Exit Anil Kumble!

It was the morning after. The Indian team room at the plush Grange Hotel in central London was deserted, with empty chairs and cardboard boxes scattered around. Still dazed after the overnight defeat, most players had decided to have breakfast in the confines of their rooms overlooking the Thames, reflecting on what had gone wrong in the big battle with archrival Pakistan.

- Vikrant Gupta

Meanwhile, a bigger battle was waiting to explode. The pitch this time was an emergency BCCI meeting in London, attended by cricket advisory committee (CAC) members Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar and V.V.S. Laxman, BCCI CEO Rahul Johri, Indian captain Virat Kohli and coach Anil Kumble. It was a last attempt to avert the inevitable—Kumble’s exit.

Kohli was adamant. He didn’t want Kumble as coach anymore. The discussion soon turned into a full-scale verbal spat between the two. “That’s it, I’m quitting,” said the coach and left the room. The decision was officially announced on June 20. The Kohli-Kumble rift came out in the open when the BCCI suddenly advertised last month, seeking applications for the position of Team India coach. Kumble’s one-year contract was coming to an end but the BCCI decision to not renew it came as a shocker—the general perception was that he would continue till World Cup 2019.