Three reasons why removing Virat Kohli from ODI captaincy was wrong
Virat Kohli (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)
The removal of Virat Kohli from the ODI captaincy has created a big controversy in Indian cricket. He was removed from the role during a virtual meeting with the selectors while naming the squad for the tour of South Africa. A lot happened on social media as the hashtag #ShameOnBCCI became trending on Twitter. Kohli fans felt that Kohli was mistreated by the board given his stature.
However, there was another section of netizens who supported the decision. The controversy grew so bad that the BCCI president Sourav Ganguly had to come out in the media and say that the selectors asked Kohli not to resign from the T20I captaincy ahead of the 20-20 World Cup. This statement sounded suspicious as this was never revealed when the 33-year-old stepped down from the job.
The selectors have also voiced Ganguly’s statements. However, there was a twist in the tale. The former skipper held a press conference where he was asked about the captaincy fiasco. He said that he was never asked to remain the skipper in the shortest format. In fact, he said that the selection panel was very supportive of his decision.
As far as ODI leadership is concerned, he revealed that he was being removed from the 50-over captaincy. Till now, the selectors have remained firm on their previous statement. In this article, we will discuss the three reasons why removing the veteran from the 50-over leadership role was a wrong move.
1. Virat Kohli had a great record as ODI captain
He captained the team in this format from 2013-2021. However, he remained the stand-in skipper till December 2016. In January 2017, he was appointed as the full-time skipper after MS Dhoni decided to step down from the leadership position. Kohli’s first series as a full-time skipper was against England at home.
Talking about his records as captain, he has led the Men In Blue in 95 games and the team won 65, lost 27, Tied one (against West Indies in 2018) and two ended as No Result. His win percentage was 70.43 which is only six less than Ricky Ponting.
2. India only play a handful of ODIs before the ODI World Cup 2023
The team will play only a handful of ODIs ahead of the 50-over World Cup at home. COVID-19 forced the 20-20 World Cup 2020 to be postponed by one year. The tournament was hosted in the United Arab Emirates and Oman in 2021. Another T20 World Cup was supposed to be played in 2022, which is assumed to go as per schedule. This means that the teams will be playing T20sIs more than ODIs. With 50-over World Cup not far away, Rohit Sharma will not get enough time to settle in as an ODI skipper which might hurt India in the mega event.
3. Kohli deserved better treatment
Last but not least, the right-hander deserved better treatment as he has served the country enough to leave the captaincy on his terms. The current saga will send a wrong statement and make youngsters insecure about their future.
