Virat Kohli has cleared the air surrounding his availability for the ODI series versus South Africa, and the Test skipper also opened up about his alleged rift with Rohit Sharma.
Addressing a virtual press conference on Wednesday, Kohli said that there is no problem between him and Rohit Sharma, despite the latter replacing him as the ODI skipper lately.
“No problem between me and Rohit, have been clarifying for two years. I am tired now,” Kohli said when quizzed about his rapport with Rohit.
The 33-year-old also said that he will be available for selection for India’s ODI series versus South Africa. There has been a lot of speculation surrounding Kohli, who was rumoured to be wanting a break after the Test series in order to be with his family.
Kohli however, has quashed those rumours, saying that he ‘was keen to play all ODIs’.
“I was and I am available for selection all this time. You should not be asking me these questions, you should ask those who are writing these stories and sources. All these people who are writing are not credible. I was always keen to play ODIs,” he added.
The Delhi-born batsman also revealed that he was ‘fine’ with the BCCI’s decision to give the captaincy to Rohit, adding that he always took pride while leading the team.
“I have taken a lot of pride in being the captain of the Indian team and I’ve done the best as I could. My motivation to do well will not dip at all. One thing I will say about captaincy is I have been absolute honest to this job,” said Kohli.
Team India is scheduled to fly to South Africa on Thursday, as they will take on South Africa in a 3 match Test series, from December 26 to January 15, and later the two teams will clash in a 3 match ODI series between 19-23 January.
