Virat Kohli and Anil Kumble

BCCI acting secretary Amitabh Choudhary had pleaded ignorance when the rift between Virat Kohli and Anil Kumble was an open secret and on Monday he defended his statement made during the Champions Trophy. Choudhary, who was also in England during the Champions Trophy, had then dismissed reports claiming serious differences between Kohli and Kumble, eventually leading to an acrimonious exit of India's head coach.

"Smoke without fire statement concerning Kohli-Kumble differences was made in real time when I didn't see any smoke," said Choudhary here. Choudhary also reiterated that the final call on the new coach will be taken by the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) comprising Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman.