Did Anil Kumble leak confidential WhatsApp conversation with senior Indian cricketers to media?

New Delhi: As all teams are preparing in full swing for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy, a rift between Indian skipper Virat Kohli and coach Anil Kumble has made plenty of headlines.

While it was earlier reported that Kohli and other senior members of the team were unhappy with the legendary leggie's approach, as per a report in DNA, Kumble leaked a Whatsapp conversation with Kohli and other senior members of the team to his friends in the media.

"We've been told that there is a WhatsApp group created by Kumble of his few trusted media friends and few confidential talks between him and senior players were leaked through that," a report in DNA quoted an unnamed senior BCCI official as saying.

After replacing Ravi Shastri as the coach of the team prior to the overseas series against West Indies last year, Kumble guided Indian team to several triumphs. While his contract, which is set to expire after ICC Champions Trophy 2017, was expected to be extended till the 2019 World Cup, BCCI's decision to invite applications for the position of new head coach gave an indication that all was not well between the skipper and the coach.

The DNA report added that Kumble had leaked confidential information to his friends in the media on more than one occasion.

While Kohli was said to have been happy with Shastri's style of coaching, it is unlikely that he will apply for the top job after his spat with Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) member Sourav Ganguly last time around.

The other two names in the race are of Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid.

It was also earlier reported that Kohli shot down Kumble's decision to play chinaman spinner Kuldeep Yadav in the final Test against Australia in the Test series ahead of IPL 2017.

“This may or may not be the reason. But we believe the people in the corridors of power have been told that Kumble is overbearing and doesn’t give freedom to the players. It’s sad that aspersions are cast on a legend of Indian cricket,” a BCCI official had earlier told The Hindu.