Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has addressed the controversy surrounding Virat Kohli’s captaincy during Ganguly’s tenure as the President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Contrary to accusations of being responsible for Kohli’s removal as the ODI captain, Ganguly clarified his stance during a recent appearance on a quiz show he hosts.
Virat Kohli
Ganguly explained, “I didn’t remove Virat Kohli from captaincy. He (Kohli) was not interested in leading T20Is. After he made that decision, I suggested that if he’s not willing to lead in T20Is, it’s better for him to step down from the entire white-ball cricket. This way, we could have a separate captain for white-ball and red-ball formats.” Ganguly’s comments were made in response to a video shown on the television show Dadagiri Unlimited Season 10.
In contrast to Ganguly’s account, Kohli had previously stated in a press conference that he was informed about the decision only 90 minutes before the team selection for the South Africa tour. Kohli also contradicted Ganguly’s claim that the BCCI had asked him not to step down as the T20I captain, citing poor communication from the Board.
Ganguly’s version of events found support from the then chief selector, Chetan Sharma, who mentioned, “Sourav Ganguly said that think once, in what might have been a video conference. Virat would not have heard. There were nine people sitting there, not one person. All the people were there… I was also there. All the selectors and board members were there. Either Virat didn’t listen or Virat did. I don’t know. We don’t know; Virat will know.” Sharma’s comments were part of a TV sting operation that led to his subsequent resignation.
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