When discussing Virat Kohli‘s resignation as Test captain last year, the former Pakistan captain didn’t hold back.
After suffering a crushing loss in the World Test Championship final earlier this month, Team India experienced yet another letdown in an ICC competition. India failed to win the tournament’s title in their second consecutive final appearance as they were defeated by Australia at The Oval by a score of 209 runs, this time captained by Rohit Sharma.
In the match’s opening round, New Zealand defeated a Virat Kohli-led team by 8 wickets.
In January 2022, Rohit took over as Test captain after Kohli decided to step down from the position. This decision followed a highly contentious few months in which Kohli resigned as T20 captain and was later relieved of his duties as ODI captain.
In a contentious press conference in December 2021, Kohli alleged a lack of communication from the BCCI top management, seemingly alluding to a ruptured friendship with then-board president Sourav Ganguly.
Questions about Rohit’s leadership in the longest format have also been raised in the wake of this year’s WTC Final loss to Australia. Fans on social media recalled Kohli’s contentious resignation as Test captain, and Salman Butt, a former Pakistan captain, discussed it during one of his live sessions on YouTube. However, Butt claimed that Kohli was “systematically removed” from his position of leadership rather than stepping down.
Being systematically removed from his captaincy while Kohli was a successful player… He himself gave it away. Many comments that I’ve read state that Kohli resigned as captain but wasn’t fired. Brother, pay attention; the buildup was made by them (the board). You can watch the PC if you like. Didn’t he say in the press conference that there was no communication with me?
“When the player knows it was done intentionally, it comes down to these things. Despite the fact that he is a professional and was a captain, I still believe he shouldn’t have been fired. ”
This week, a PTI report suggested that the BCCI might be inclined to name Rohit’s replacement as Test captain after the series against the West Indies, which will take place between July and August later this year.
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