We spoke to Virat in Sept and asked him not to quit the T20 captaincy: BCCI.
Mumbai: Amid the Indian Cricketer Virat Kohli’s sensational claim regarding the captaincy, BCCI states that they had kept him in the loop. BCCI dismissed the India Test captain’s stance over lack of communication. The board spoke with Virat Kohli in September and urged him not to give up as T20 captain, a BCCI official said to India Today.
“Virat Kohli can’t say that we didn’t keep him in the loop. We spoke to Virat in Sept and asked him not to quit the T20 captaincy. Once Virat gave up the T20 captaincy on his own, it was difficult to have 2 white ball captains. Chetan Sharma told Virat about the ODI captaincy on the morning of the meeting,” a BCCI official told India Today.
Kohli highlighted the point of lack of communication, with the BCCI over the manner in which he was sacked as ODI captain on the day the 18-man squad for the Test series in South Africa (starting December 26) was announced.
Ganguly had mentioned that Kohli was asked not to step down from captaincy in T20Is, but Kohli contradicted that as he said that his decision of stepping down from T20I captaincy was well received by the Indian cricket board.
“When I communicated with the BCCI first about quitting the T20I captaincy, I told them that this is my point of view, these are the reasons for my decision. It was received quite well. No one took offense, no one had any hesitation. No one told me that I should not leave the T20I captaincy,” Kohli told the press.
“It was received well and looked at as a progressive step and one in the right direction. That time, I told the BCCI that I wanted to continue as ODI and Test captain unless the BCCI office-bearers or the selectors want me not to do so. I clarified this as well in the phone call. My communication with the BCCI was very clear. I also gave them the option that if the BCCI office-bearers of the selectors want to make a decision, I am okay with it,” he added.
Virat’s comments contradict the statements made by BCCI president Sourav Ganguly over the past few days. Ganguly had mentioned that he had personally spoken to Kohli about the decision to name Rohit Sharma as the new ODI captain and that so did the chairman of selectors, Chetan Sharma.
“…Actually, the BCCI had requested Virat not to 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 told ANI.
As an independent media platform, we do not take advertisements from governments and corporate houses. It is you, our readers, who have supported us on our journey to do honest and unbiased journalism. Please contribute, so that we can continue to do the same in future.
