Virat Kohli was the captain of the Indian cricket team in all three formats of the game till the end of the T20 World Cup last year. However, before the start of the T20 World Cup, he had confirmed that he would give up leadership duties in the shortest format of the game after the mega event. But what followed afterwards was that the BCCI decided to appoint Rohit Sharma as the new captain of the ODI team as well, and after the end of the three-match Test series against South Africa at the start of this year, Virat stepped down from Test captaincy as well.
When Virat decided to leave the role in all three formats, there were reports of a rift between him and the BCCI and that he wasn’t treated well by the top cricketing body of the country. But in an interview with a senior journalist, BCCI treasurer Arun Singh Dhumal has now revealed that it was Virat’s decision himself that he didn’t want to continue as captain.
Shedding light on the controversial Kohli captaincy saga, Dhumal said that the decision was entirely Virat’s, and that the BCCI, like everyone, cannot wait for the former India captain to be back at his run-scoring best
“As far as the issue of captaincy is concerned, it was his call. He decided that mujhe ab nahi karni hai captaincy (that I don’t want to captain). It is possible that someone feels it’s best to do it after the World Cup, but that is their point of view. But he wanted to quit, and it was purely his decision. And we respected it. He has contributed so much to Indian cricket that everyone in the cricket board respects him. We would like to see Virat in action on the ground,” Dhumal said.
The former Indian captain is struggling with form these days and has failed to put together an impactful innings for a long time now. Ever since he left the captaincy, his numbers have gone down, which has now put his place in the team under scrutiny as well. There is constant talk about whether he still fits into India’s T20 World Cup plans, and to that, Dhumal feels that his selection will entirely depend on the selectors’ plans.
“See… as far as Virat is concerned, he is not a simple player. He is a great and his contribution to Indian cricket is unparalleled. It is outstanding. So, such conversations (board is trying to sideline Kohli) keep taking place in the media and it does not affect us. We want him to return to form soon, and as far as team selection is concerned, we leave it to the selectors. It is their call as to how they want to go about it,” Dhumal added.
