MUMBAI: Too clever by half? Certainly looks like it viewed from this perch. BCCI president Sourav Ganguly’s recent assertion that that Virat Kohli had been asked “not to step down as T20I captain” has been called out by the the team India Test captain.
And Ganguly should have seen it coming. The clearest sign that Kohli was not one to toe the establishment line was offered in the aftermath of the social media abuse that Team India fast bowler Mohammed Shami was subjected to following India’s T20 World Cup cricket defeat against Pakistan in late October.
Kohli launched a blistering attack on his team’s critics, blasting them as “spineless” and “pathetic”, reserving particular vitriol for the trolls who blamed Shami for the loss.
Cut to the present, Kohli, answering a question about him relinquishing the T20I captaincy while speaking at a virtual press conference on Wednesday, stated, “I told the BCCI before giving up T20I captaincy. I told them my point of view. The BCCI received it very well. There was no offence. It was received well, saying it’s a progressive step. I told them I will continue as ODI captain and Test captain,”
“I told them at that point, clearly, that if the office bearers or the selectors don’t want me to handle either of the responsibility, I am fine with it. I said this clearly when I approached the BCCI to discuss my T20I captaincy,” the 33-year-old added.
“My communication with BCCI hasn’t happened and I wanted to rest. I was contacted one-and-a-half hours before the meeting. The five selectors told me I will not be ODI captain, which is fine,” he added further.
Kohli’s comments directly contradicted Ganguly’s recent assertions on the issue, wherein he had told The Indian Express: “We (BCCI) had requested Virat not to step down as T20I captain. There was no plan to change captaincy. But he stepped down as T20I captain and the selectors decided not to split limited-overs captaincy, opting for a complete separation.”
“The bottom line is that there can’t be two white-ball captains,” the former India captain had said.
The ball is clearly back in Ganguly’s court. It will be interesting to see whether there is a riposte coming from the Indian cricket board or its minders.
Kohli available for SA Tour ODI selection
Meanwhile, Kohli also put to rest speculations about his availability for India’s upcoming tour of South Africa and his equation with newly-appointed white-ball skipper Rohit.
“I was and I am available for selection all the time. I never communicated with BCCI asking for rest. I am available for the ODI series in South Africa, and was always available,” he said during the pre-departure press conference.
Shortly before the start of this year’s T20 World Cup in the UAE, Kohli had announced his decision to step down as India’s T20I captain after the tournament.
India will play three Tests and three ODIs in South Africa, starting December 26.
