Gillespie's take on Kumble-Kohli split

A good old-fashioned personality clash looks likely to be at the heart of the breakdown between India captain Virat Kohli and outgoing coach Anil Kumble, according to former Australia fast bowler Jason Gillespie.

Kumble stepped down from the role of head coach on Tuesday after he rejected a contract extension from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) due to an "untenable" relationship with the country’s skipper.

Rumours had circulated since the start of the recently concluded Champions Trophy that a rift between coach and captain could spell the end of Kumble’s successful 12-month reign in the top role.

While both the BCCI and Kohli hosed down any talks of feuding between the leadership duo during the tournament, Kumble revealed in a social media following the formal announcement of his resignation that it was the skipper’s "reservations" about his coaching style that decided his future.

Full story: Kumble quits as India coach

Watching the saga unfold from afar in the South Australian capital of Adelaide, Gillespie – the experienced coach of teams stretching from Zimbabwe to England to Australia – says it looks as though Kohli and Kumble weren’t moving in the same direction.

According to Gillespie, who guided English county powerhouse Yorkshire to consecutive County Championships in 2014-15, the captain and coach don’t need to get along all the time as long as they have a common goal.

Which didn’t appear to be the case with Kumble and Kohli.

"It needs to be a strong relationship, that’s for sure, they need to be on the same page," Gillespie told cricket.com.au on the importance of a working coach-captain relationship.

"You don’t want a ‘yes man’ one way or the other.

"Part of a good relationship between the captain and the coach is good discussion and good debate – they certainly don’t need to agree on everything.

"The overriding thing I would say is that if the captain and the coach have a shared vision, an overall goal, then how they get there is going to vary from situation to situation.

"You don’t expect the captain and coach to agree on absolutely everything but if they’ve got a shared vision they’ll work through any potential (difficult) situations even if they might not see eye to eye.

"Anil has decided not to (return) in the job so he must feel that those discussions and debate about what’s best for the team isn’t working in the current environment."

Image Id: 53033E91D5254BA2BAAD296F664807D3 Image Caption: The rumoured rift that became a reality // Getty

While Kumble – a veteran of 132 Tests and India’s highest Test wicket-taker – won 12 of 17 Tests and never lost a Test series at the helm, it’s perhaps the clash of old school and new school that has divided the pair.

Test great Sunil Gavaskar said as much earlier this month, but disagrees with Gillespie that the coach and captain need to be on the same path to be successful.

"You will never have a situation when the captain and coach of any country is on the same page," Gavaskar said in London.

"It is impossible for that to happen because the coach had played in the earlier generation and that's why the approach may be slightly different from the current generation."

But Gillespie says a difference of attitudes is the likely cause of the split, which in turn has seen each party form an alternate vision for the national team.

"Virat is a big personality, there’s no doubt about that," Gillespie said.

"He’s a fine player and done some fine things as captain and it appears from the outside there’s a bit of a clash of personalities.

"If that’s the case then everyone shakes hands and moves on. If it’s not working it’s not working.

"That’s probably the way Anil Kumble is looking at it. I read his statement and he basically said he likes to have good discussions about the betterment of the Indian side and he doesn’t feel that’s working, so he’s dusted himself off, shaken hands and walked away with his head held high.

"That’s part and parcel of professional sport."

Dr. MV Sridhar will act as interim coach for India’s limited-overs tour of the Caribbean while the Cricket Advisory Committee – comprised of Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Sourav Ganguly – will restart their search for a full-time replacement for Kumble.

Australia’s Tom Moody and former swashbuckling India opener Virender Sehwag have expressed interest in the role, but Gillespie officially ruled himself of contention.

"I haven’t put my name forward for the Indian role," he said. "It would be a special role but I haven’t applied."