“BCCI requested Virat not to step down as T20I skipper”: Sourav Ganguly sheds light on why Virat Kohli was removed from captaincy in ODIs for India

Sourav Ganguly sheds light on why Virat Kohli was removed as Team India’s captain in ODIs after BCCI is being criticized for the move.

Virat Kohli’s unceremonious exit as captain of Team India in the 50-Over format of the game has witnessed two extreme reactions by fans and experts. While Rohit Sharma’s appointment as his new replacement has been welcomed by people, the other section was rightly unimpressed by the BCCI for not providing a valid explanation for the reason(s) for Kohli’s removal from the post.

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With no word from Kohli either on the issue, one should not be gaslighted for believing that all is not right between the ex-White ball skipper and the BCCI.

However, after almost 24 hours of all the drama and confusion, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly has finally opened up on the issue and has cited the reason for Kohli’s removal from the captaincy spot and Rohit Sharma’s appointment as his replacement.

“BCCI requested Virat not to step down as T20I skipper”: Sourav Ganguly

It is worth mentioning that Virat had stepped down as team India’s skipper in the T20 format just before the team was about to begin their 2021 T20 World Cup campaign, and after yet another failure to win an IPL title for his franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).

Kohli had cited ‘workload management’ as one of the important reasons for him arriving at the decision, and had explicitly mentioned that he would continue leading the side in the ODI and the Test format.

Ganguly, on Thursday mentioned that Kohli was requested by the BCCI not to step down as T20I captain of the team, but he refused to change his decision. He also stated that it was a collective decision made by the BCCI officials to appoint Rohit Sharma as the team’s new limited Overs format skipper.

“Actually, the BCCI had requested Virat to not step down as the T20I skipper but obviously, he did not agree. And the selectors then did not feel it right to have two different captains for two white-ball formats,” Ganguly was quoted as saying to ANI.

“So it was decided that Virat will continue as Test captain and Rohit will take over as the white-ball captain. I as President personally spoke to Virat Kohli and the chairman of selectors has also spoken to him,” Ganguly further added.

Ganguly thanked Kohli for his contributions as captain in T20Is and ODIs, while backing Rohit’s abilities as skipper.

“We have full faith in Rohit Sharma’s leadership abilities, and Virat will continue as the Test captain. We as BCCI are confident that Indian cricket is in good hands. We thank Virat Kohli for his contributions as captain in the white-ball format,” the BCCI president said.