The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has developed a habit of courting controversy. In the latest instance, how Virat Kohli, whose contribution to the game has been phenomenal, was removed as the One Day International Captain, was not only graceless but extremely in poor taste. Sourav Ganguly, the BCCI Chief and former Skipper, in a chat with some reporters, tried to explain that the Board had advised Kohli not to give up the T-20 Captaincy, but since he paid no heed to the suggestion, the Selectors decided to hand over the ODI captaincy to Rohit Sharma, who was earlier appointed the T-20 skipper as well.
The logic was that how could there be two Captains for the White ball and to support this point, examples of Australia and England were given. However, what Sourav, a cricketing great himself, forgot to mention was that under the BCCI, the Women Cricket team has two separate Captains for the T-20 and ODI formats. If it was working for the women, why would it not work for the men as well? Kohli, had while stepping down as the head of the T-20 team had made it clear that he would continue to lead the country in ODIs and Tests.
He wanted to shed off some load and that in his estimation would have lessened once the T-20 Captaincy was out of the way. However, the timing of his announcement was questioned by even some of his fans. He should have made this declaration, not before the T-20 world championship commenced but towards the end of the tournament. The result was that the team perhaps felt demoralized instead of being in peak mental condition. The feeling of uncertainty crept in. Kohli has been a big factor so far as the Indian team is concerned and he has brought in that killer instinct in the boys, who have performed extremely well overseas, even if they have not won any major tournament. He has led by example and the strenuous workouts and emphasis on physical fitness are one of the greatest attributes of the current team in all formats. The Indian team has never been as fit as it is now, and this is where Kohli has contributed immensely.
As a player, he has been amongst the best in the world and shall be representing India in all three formats. The relinquishment of the captaincy shall unburden him of the stress but his removal as the ODI Captain without his consent was totally out of place. Kohli has been an asset to Indian Cricket and Rohit Sharma, the man who replaces him in the White ball game is also an exceptional player. Rohit has had a very successful tenure as the skipper of the Mumbai Indians and has proved his prowess time and again. His fans and Kohli’s followers have been having an avoidable confrontation on social media, which could harm the game unnecessarily. The decision is pure of the Board and Rohit should not be held responsible for it. Nevertheless, what needs to be kept in mind is that the assertion of the West Zone over every other zone is evident in team selection these days, which may not work very well in the long run. Indian Cricket has grown, because deserving boys from every corner of India, many from even small towns, fulfilled their dream of representing the country. Rahul Dravid has taken over as the Coach. He was during his playing days, the most underrated cricketer who rescued the team from the most difficult situations repeatedly. He is a sportsman and shall do his best for the promotion of the game. He realizes what competitive cricket is all about and shall help in improving the dressing room atmosphere by his calm presence there. The aim should be that Kohli, Rohit, and everybody else should play their best to bring many more victories for India.