NEWS
Follow UsDespite perfectly leading the Indian team, Virat Kohli’s decision to step away from the Test captaincy after the 2022 tour against South Africa came as an utter shock. While at that time, the reports only pointed towards the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) wanting a new skipper across the limited-overs format, Kohli’s decision shocked the cricketing world.
After another failure in an International Cricket Council (ICC) event for India, former BCCI president Sourav Ganguly stated that the board wasn’t ready for Kohli when he relinquished his captaincy from the game's longest format.
While there were reports of some unrest between the two, Ganguly insisted that only Kohli can give a clear answer on his decision, further backing the move to appoint Rohit Sharma as the Test skipper.
"BCCI were not prepared for Virat Kohli leaving the Test captaincy. It was unexpected for us also after the South Africa tour. Only Virat Kohli can reveal why he left the captaincy. There is no point talking about this now because Virat Kohli left the Test captaincy. Selectors had to appoint an India captain. And Rohit was the best option at that time," Sourav Ganguly told Aaj Tak in an exclusive interview.
Ganguly further made a shocking remark, when he stated that winning an Indian Premier League (IPL) title is far tougher than winning an ICC title.
“It’s not that easy to win the IPL. It’s a very tough tournament. Winning an IPL is even more difficult than a World Cup. 14 games and then you get to feature in the playoffs. You can only become a champion after winning 17 games. In World Cup, you qualify in the semis after 4-5 games. I believe Rohit was the best option then and even is right now.”
With the ODI World Cup around the corner at home, Ganguly reckoned that he would love for Rohit and co to go out and play without any fear. At the same time, the former BCCI president also showed his total trust in Rahul Dravid’s calibre as the head coach, stating that he is the right person to take the Indian team forward alongside Rohit.
“I want him (Rohit) to lead the team without any fear. Jo hoga, hoga. We have a World Cup six months later. A team that has Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah – we don’t know if he’ll be fit by then – Shami, Siraj…that team will win some time,” Ganguly said.
“In my opinion….I have played with Rahul (Dravid) and have a lot of respect for him…he can take this team forward along with Rohit only. The only advice I have is, Khelo jaake bindaas.”
