The Indian cricket board’s decision of removing Virat Kohli as the ODI captain was inevitable when he refused to step down after a dismal T20 World Cup, local media said on Thursday.
Speaking to ANI, President of Board of Control for Cricket in India, Sourav Ganguly said after Kohli decided against continuing as the T20I skipper, the board didn’t feel it was right to have two different skippers for two formats in white-ball cricket.
“It’s a call that the BCCI and the selectors took together. 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 said.
“Virat Kohli refuses to step down, BCCI cracks whip,” the Press Trust of India said in a headline.
The BCCI had waited for the 33-year-old to leave voluntarily as ODI captain, but when he failed to, losing the position was “simply fait accompli”, it said.
India went to the T20 World Cup as one of the favorites but crashed out after big losses to New Zealand and arch-rivals Pakistan.
India’s top-order failures in the two defeats — the loss to Pakistan was their first in a World Cup — raised questions about their preparation and leadership.
A terse line at the end of a BCCI statement announcing the Test squad for the upcoming tour confirmed that Sharma, 34, will now lead India in both white-ball formats.
“However great a player Virat Kohli is… it is inevitable he will feel a sense of loss,” tweeted cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle.
Sports writer Ayaz Memon said that Sharma “thoroughly deserved” his promotion. He will also be Kohli’s deputy in Tests.
But Memon warned that coach Rahul Dravid would need to be “buffer, bridge and big brother” between Kohli and Sharma because “dressing-room dynamics change” during a transition.
Indian sports author Boria Majumdar praised Sharma’s elevation but said that it was important to take Kohli “into confidence” and ensure there was “clear communication”.
“For Indian cricket, it’s needed,” he added.
“A captain who maintained win percentage of 68 percent in ODIs is surely not supposed to be bidden farewell via a press release with two sentences without even mentioning his name, no,” wrote one.
Meanwhile, Kohli has the best winning percentage for an Indian ODI skipper but has faced criticism over the team’s inability to win major tournaments.
He has also come under scrutiny as his form has dipped over the last two years.
He will still lead India for a three-Test series in South Africa starting December 26.
Kohli’s plan to hold on to the ODI captaincy came to an unceremonious end when BCCI said late Wednesday that Rohit Sharma would captain the one-day team on its South Africa tour.
Kohli was not informed about his “sacking” beforehand, the Indian Express said.
Sharma will captain India in both white-ball formats, cricket selectors said Wednesday, as they named the Test squad for this month’s South Africa tour.
Known as “The Hitman” because of his powerful hundreds and six-hitting, Sharma took over the T20 side in November after India’s dismal showing at the World Cup in Dubai and led a series sweep at home against New Zealand.
The 34-year-old replaced Virat Kohli, who stepped down as short-format skipper in September citing his “immense workload”, and who has now yielded the ODI captaincy.
Kohli will helm the three-Test series in South Africa starting December 26 — a tour delayed and shortened because of fears over the spread of the new Omicron coronavirus variant.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India named Ajinkya Rahane to the squad despite the veteran batsman’s dry spell and absence from Monday’s thumping second Test win against New Zealand in Mumbai.
