Former President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Sourav Ganguly, gave a striking statement about former India captain Virat Kohli after the team’s heart-rending defeat in the final of the ICC World Test Championship at The Oval against Australia. Ganguly and Kohli have been two of the great leaders in Indian cricket, and they were also considered to be locking horns during Ganguly’s stint as the president of the cricket board.
The Ganguly-Kohli cold war
When Virat Kohli stepped down as the captain of India, Ganguly affirmed that the BCCI had requested that Virat not give up the leadership role in the team. However, Kohli blatantly denied Ganguly’s statement in a blistering press conference during India’s Test series against South Africa.
During the IPL 2023, in their most recent public interaction, the duo was seen shaking hands and the moment went viral, the incident showed that the two may have finally made up and the cold war between them is over.
The former captain talks about Virat Kohli
After the WTC final, Ganguly, in an interview, recalled his stint on the cricket board and disclosed that the BCCI had reservations about Kohli giving up the Test captaincy. He said, “BCCI was not ready for Virat Kohli leaving the test captaincy. It was unexpected for us after the South Africa tour”. He further said that Virat Kohli can only tell why he left the Test captaincy and that there is no point in talking now because he has already left the leadership.
Virat denied all statements
On the other hand, Kohli revealed in the press conference for South Africa’s tour that his captaincy was over an hour before the selection meeting for the tour of South Africa. He said” that he got no prior notice until December 8th and got a call an hour before the selection meeting for the South Africa tour”.
Not to forget, Virat Kohli has been the most successful captain in the history of India’s test cricket. Under his leadership, the team reached the final of the ICC World Test Championship’s inaugural edition. He led India to 40 wins as captain and 18 Test series. Kohli has won 13 more test matches than India’s former legendary captain, MS Dhoni. Not only this, but he is also the first Asian captain to win a test series in Australia.
When it was announced that Virat Kohli would no longer be Team India’s captain, it was surprising for many cricket fans because he was successfully leading India in the Tests, and this could be seen in the results as India became the No. 1 Test Team in the world. after he left captaincy, Rohit Sharma was appointed as the new captain, as he was the best choice at the time.
Also read:- GILL AND TEAM INDIA HEAVILY FINED BY ICC AFTER THE WTC FINAL