The Board of Control for Cricket in India treasurer Arun Singh Dhumal has revealed that Virat Kohli himself wanted to quit captaincy. The Indian cricketer had an illustrious captaincy career for the country. However, Virat stepped down as the T20I captain following the ICC T20 World Cup last year. Following his decision, the BCCI appointed Rohit Sharma as the new India skipper.
Rohit Sharma was also handed the leadership baton in the ODIs, as the BCCI did not want split captaincy in white-ball cricket. This gave rise to various speculation about a rift between Virat Kohli and the BCCI. Some media houses reported that the Indian cricketer was not treated well by the board. However, the BCCI treasurer Arun Singh Dhumal has now revealed that it was Virat’s decision himself to not continue as the Indian captain.
In an interview with journalist Vimal Kumar, Arun Singh Dhumal shed some light on the controversial Virat Kohli’s captaincy incident. He stated,
“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.”
Virat Kohli’s contribution to Indian cricket is unparalleled: Arun Singh Dhumal
Virat Kohli has been going through a prolonged rough patch in his career. He has not been able to consistently convert his starts. Speaking about the former India skipper, BCCI treasurer Arun Singh Dhumal further lauded Virat Kohli’s contribution to Indian cricket. He termed the veteran batter “outstanding”. Dhumal expressed that the board wants Virat Kohli to come back to form soon.
“See… as far as Virat is concerned, he is not a simple player. He is great and his contribution to Indian cricket is unparalleled. It is outstanding. So, such conversations (the 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,” said Arun Singh Dhumal.
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