The Virat Kohli's captaincy saga took another unexpected turn on Saturday, when he stepped down as Test captain barely 24 hours after India lost the series in South Africa. Success on the tour would have taken Indian cricket to a new high - the “final frontier”, with series wins in every cricket-playing nation. Failure, as it often does, is taking a heavy toll.
The first fallout was Kohli’s decision - made public on Twitter on Saturday evening, but conveyed to his teammates in Cape Town after India’s seven-wicket defeat on Friday. The announcement brings to a close the innings of India’s most successful Test captain - one that leaves behind a transformed Indian team that is now known as a fast-bowling powerhouse capable of winning in any conditions.
But, in the most immediate context of the domestic power play, it marks the end of a months-long face-off between Kohli and the Indian cricket board over the manner, timing and narrative of how his T20 and ODI captaincy stints ended between October and December last year.
“It’s been seven years of hard work, toil and relentless perseverance every day to take the team in the right direction. I’ve done the job with absolute honesty and left nothing out there,” Kohli said in a statement.
Kohli thanked the Indian board, former chief coach Ravi Shastri, and his predecessor as captain MS Dhoni. “To Ravi Bhai and the support group who were the engine behind this vehicle that moved us upwards in Test Cricket consistently, you all have played a massive role in bringing this vision to life. Lastly, a big thank you to MS Dhoni who believed in me as a Captain and found me to be an able individual who could take Indian Cricket forward.”
The Board of Control for Cricket in India quickly endorsed Kohli’s decision, quote-tweeting it seven minutes later and congratulating him for “admirable leadership qualities that took the Test team to unprecedented heights”.
Will deal with it appropriately: Ganguly
Kohli's remarks ahead of India's departure for the South Africa tour has triggered a storm by exposing an underlying tension between him and the administrators. And BCCI President Sourav Ganguly broke his silence on Kohli explosive remarks for the first time saying that the board will deal with the issue appropriately.
Opening up on the remarks, Ganguly said, "No statements, no press conference. We will deal with it appropriately, leave it to (the) BCCI."
Months after Kohli had stepped down from his role as a T20I captain, Ganguly had said that BCCI had asked him to reconsider his decision. However, the 33-year-old contradicted Ganguly's words.
