Cricket News

Sourav Ganguly’s latest remarks on Virat Kohli Captaincy Saga creates further issue

Kohli will soon be seen in action during India's Tests against South-Africa in the latter's home turf.

Dec 5, 2023 12:41 pm

In recent Indian cricket history, one of the most contentious events was the removal of Virat Kohli from captaincy in all three formats. Before the 2021 T20 World Cup, Kohli, citing workload management and a desire to concentrate solely on his batting, announced his intention to step down as T20 captain following the tournament.

However, he expressed his continued interest in leading the ODI team. Despite this, the Indian Cricket Board removed him as ODI captain, emphasizing the need for a single leader across both white-ball formats.

Then, within a month of the conclusion of the Test series against South Africa in 2022, Kohli abruptly resigned as India’s Test captain, a decision that shocked fans and pundits alike. This fueled widespread media speculation about a rift between Kohli and the then Board President, Sourav Ganguly, who had exchanged contradictory statements in the press. Many believed that Ganguly’s actions played a significant role in the unfolding situation.

“I didn’t remove him” – Sourav Ganguly

Throughout the past two years, Sourav Ganguly has addressed the captaincy saga occasionally, yet inconsistencies persist between his and Virat Kohli’s narratives.

In a recent episode of the show “Dadagiri Unlimited,” Sourav Ganguly revisited the captaincy saga, reiterating that he did not strip Virat Kohli of the ODI captaincy. According to Ganguly’s account, Kohli voluntarily relinquished the ODI captaincy after a recommendation to have a single white-ball captain. Soon after, he also stepped down as Test captain, a decision taken entirely on his own accord.

“I didn’t remove Virat from captaincy. I have said this several times. He 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 entire white-ball cricket. Let there be a white-ball captain and a red-ball captain,” he said. This further complicates the matter, leaving the question of whether a clear picture will emerge shortly unanswered.