India Test skipper Virat Kohli on Wednesday said the BCCI never asked him to reconsider quitting T20 leadership as claimed by the Board and his removal from ODI captaincy happened 90 minutes before the team’s selection for the upcoming South Africa tour.
At the pre-departure press meet before the South Africa tour, the Indian skipper took all the tough questions head on and said that he would put his full support behind new white-ball skipper Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid’s “vision”. He said he understands that not winning an ICC white ball trophy led to his removal.
“Whatever was said about the communication that happened about the decision that was made was inaccurate,” Kohli said with obvious reference to BCCI president Sourav Ganguly’s statement about the Board requesting him not to quit as split captaincy might not work in the white-ball format.
“I was contacted one and half hours before selection meeting on 8th for Test series and there was no prior communication to me at all since I announced my decision on T20 captaincy.
“...The chief selector discussed the Test team to which we both agreed. Before ending the call, I was told that the five selectors have decided that I will not be the ODI captain to which I replied ‘okay fine’,” the 33-year-old added as he recalled the sequence of events.
“In the selection call afterwards we chatted about it briefly and that’s what happened.”
The discord between Kohli and the BCCI mandarins came out in the open when he was asked the next question.
But you had only stated that you wanted to remain captain till 2023 ODI World Cup?
“Was it a question?”
Kohli smiled.
“Yes, it is a question because you had only said you wanted to remain India’s ODI captain?,” the reporter again asked.
“When I left the T20 captaincy, I had first approached BCCI and intimated them of my decision and laid down my point of view in front of them (office bearers).
“I gave the reasons why I wanted to quit T20 captaincy and my view point was received very nicely. There was no offence, no hesitation and not for once was I told that ‘you should not leave T20 captaincy’,” Kohli said, in complete contradiction to what Ganguly had stated a few days earlier.
Kohli said the BCCI brass called his decision a progressive one.
“On the contrary, the BCCI called it a progressive step and in the right direction.
At that time I had communicated that, yes I would like to continue in Tests and ODIs unless office-bearers and selectors think that I shouldn’t carry on with this responsibility. “I had clarified on my call and communication to BCCI was clear.
I had given that option if office bearers and selectors think otherwise, then it’s in their hands (their call).”
Ganguly had stated that Kohli’s decision to not reconsider giving up T20 captaincy prompted the selectors to go for Rohit as the sole white-ball skipper as two different captains in the two formats would have led to “too much leadership.”
“We had requested Virat not to step down as T20 captain but he didn’t want to continue as captain. So, the selectors felt that they cannot have two white ball captains in two white-ball formats. That’s too much of leadership,” the BCCI president and former India captain had told PTI.
Rohit also replaced a woefully out of form Ajinkya Rahane as Kohli’s deputy in the Test format.
Rohit is able captain and will have my 100 percent support, tired of questions on equation with him “Tired” of quelling never-ending speculation about a rift with Rohit Sharma, India’s Test skipper Virat Kohli on Wednesday described his white-ball successor as an “able and tactically sound” captain, who will have his complete backing as a senior player.
Kohli, who was removed by the BCCI from ODI captaincy, made it clear that he was never spoken to about being replaced till chairman of selectors Chetan Sharma intimated him 90 minutes before the scheduled team selection meeting for the South Africa tour.
Asked how he sees his role under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy, Kohli said: “My responsibility is obviously to push the team in the right direction, something that I’ve always looked to do even before I became captain, so that mindset has never changed and it will never change.
“But Rohit is a very able captain and tactically very sound. We’ve seen that in the games that he has captained for India and in the IPL as well. So is (Rahul) Dravid bhai, who’s a very, very balanced coach, great man manager.
“Both of them will have my absolute support and my contribution in whatever vision they set for the team and I will be there to support that 100 per cent and continue to be a guy who can push the team in the right direction going forward from here,” Kohli added in a press conference ahead of the team’s departure to South Africa.
When asked about the conjectures that all is not well between him and Rohit, the Test skipper said that he is tired of clarifying.
“I’ve clarified previously also - I’m tired of clarifying because it’s asked repeatedly,” he said.
“I can say with guarantee that any action of mine, any communication, won’t be to put the team down till I play cricket. That’s my commitment to Indian cricket.”
He then added that he understood why BCCI took a decision to remove him.
“I can understand why - the reason, we haven’t won an ICC tournament,” he said.
“Whether the decision they took is right or wrong, there’s no debate.
It’s a logical decision which I understand. The events that transpired and the way I was communicated, I’ve told you.”
For him, he had led the side with utmost honesty.
“About captaincy, one thing I can say is, I’ve been honest to the responsibility and done it to the best of my ability. That’s my assessment of my limited-overs captaincy.
We can do something special in South Africa this time
around: Kohli
South Africa is the final frontier that the Indian Test team is yet to conquer but skipper Virat Kohli firmly believes that his side can do “something special” in its upcoming tour of the Rainbow Nation with a maiden series win there.
India would look to improve on their recent impressive record overseas when they take on South Africa in a three-match Test series, starting December 26, under Kohli’s captaincy.
“We are very well placed in terms of experience, belief and confidence that this time around we can do something special and get the results
that we want as a team and overcome probably the toughest conditions to go and win a series,” Kohli said on Wednesday.
“South Africa is one place where we have not won a series yet.
So we are very motivated to do that. And the mindset is always to go there and win a series in any country that we play.
“We don’t anymore think of just winning a Test here and there and we will do our absolute best that we can as a team and make sure that we keep contributing towards that cause,” he added.
India had created history by beating Australia on their own turf twice, and were leading England 2-1 before their UK tour was abruptly suspended earlier this year.
India have played 20 Tests in South Africa, winning only three, and in their last tour in 2018, they gave a tough fight but still lost the series 1-2.
India recently defeated New Zealand 1-0 in a two-match Test series at home.
In the history of Test cricket, there are only three teams — England, Australia and Sri Lanka -- who have managed to beat South Africa in their their own backyard.
“We can take a lot of motivation from that of course. We probably won in the toughest conditions on that tour. So that should give us a lot of confidence,” Kohli said.