In a recent revelation, former Indian skipper and current President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Sourav Ganguly, addressed the speculation surrounding Virat Kohli's removal as ODI captain, asserting that he was not the driving force behind the decision. Kohli had previously expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of proper communication surrounding his departure from the captaincy role.
Ganguly clarified the sequence of events, emphasizing that he did not influence Kohli's removal but rather suggested that Kohli step down from white-ball captaincy while continuing to lead in Test cricket.
'I didn't remove Virat from captaincy. I have said this several times. He (Kohli) was not interested in leading in T20Is. So, after he made that decision, I told him, if you're not interested in leading in T20Is, it's better if you step down from the entire white-ball cricket. Let there be a white-ball captain and a red-ball captain', stated Ganguly during an episode of the television show, Dadagiri Unlimited Season 10.
Kohli had initially announced his decision to step down from the T20I captaincy after the T20 World Cup 2021 in Dubai, where India faced an early exit in the group stage. Subsequently, following India's Test series loss on South African soil, Kohli relinquished the Test captaincy as well, leading to Rohit Sharma taking charge across all formats.
Addressing the communication gap mentioned by Kohli, then-chief selector Chetan Sharma responded, revealing that the decision had taken everyone by surprise. Sharma noted that there was a unanimous desire for Kohli to retain the T20I captaincy, especially with the impending World Cup.
'When the meeting started, it (Kohli's decision) was a surprise for everybody because there was a World Cup coming up in a few days, and it's normal that everybody will have a similar reaction', explained Sharma to the reporters, shedding light on the discussions that unfolded during the selection committee meeting.
