• Kumble steps down just three days before limited-overs tour of the Caribbean • BCCI had invited applications for the head coach role last month

Anil Kumble has stepped down as India’s head coach with immediate effect after stating that differences with the captain, Virat Kohli, had seen his position become untenable.

Kumble oversaw India’s recent Champions Trophy campaign, when they finished runners-up to Pakistan following a 180-run defeat in Sunday’s final, and with his one-year contract set to expire at the end of the month had been offered an extension by the Board of Control for Cricket in India.

But in a statement published on social media on Tuesday, the 46-year-old former leg-spinner claims that after receiving the offer he was informed that Kohli had reservations over his coaching style and continuation in the role, prompting his decision to resign.

Kumble, who had stayed in the UK after the final as the team left for a limited-overs tour of the Caribbean, wrote: “I am honoured by the confidence reposed in me by the [BCCI administrators] in asking me to continue as head coach. The credit for the achievements of the last one year goes to the captain, the entire team, coaching and support staff.

“Post this intimation, 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. I was surprised since I have always respected the role boundaries between captain and coach.

“Though the BCCI attempted to resolve the misunderstandings between the captain and me, it was apparent that the partnership was untenable, and I therefore believe it is best for me to move on.”

Despite a year working together in which India rose to No1 in the Test rankings, reports of differences between the pair had been a running theme for some time, not least since Kumble was asked to reapply for his job alongside other candidates.

Kohli, who took over the Test captaincy of India in May 2015 and assumed its one-day equivalent at the start of this year, publicly denied any problems on the eve of their Champions Trophy opener against Pakistan at Edgbaston and is yet to comment on Kumble’s departure.

The former India players Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman comprise the three-man panel overseeing the appointment of the new head coach but it would not be a stretch to suggest that the all-powerful Kohli will likely have some input into the decision also.