Former BCCI President Sourav Ganguly clarifies role in Virat Kohli's captaincy exit

Former BCCI President Sourav Ganguly sets the record straight, asserting that he played no part in Virat Kohli's departure from the captaincy.

Ovaise Shariff

First Published Dec 5, 2023, 4:50 PM IST | Last Updated Dec 5, 2023, 5:17 PM IST

During the controversial episode of Virat Kohli stepping down from Test captaincy last year, former Indian cricket team captain Sourav Ganguly, who was the BCCI president at the time, faced speculations about his involvement in Kohli's removal. However, Ganguly now asserts that he played no part in Kohli's exit from captaincy.

Ganguly clarified, "I didn't remove Virat from captaincy. He (Kohli) was not interested in leading T20Is. After his decision, I suggested stepping down from the entire white-ball cricket formats, proposing separate captains for white-ball and red-ball cricket." Ganguly acknowledged encouraging Rohit Sharma to take up the captaincy role, citing his contribution to the decision.

Reflecting on his role as BCCI President, Ganguly emphasised, "I was appointed to work for the betterment of Indian cricket. This is a small part of it."

After Kohli's departure from captaincy in all formats, Rohit Sharma assumed leadership in T20Is, ODIs, and Tests. Kohli, in his statement, expressed gratitude to the BCCI and teammates for the opportunity and support during his captaincy tenure.

Also Read: Bhuvneshwar Kumar's omission sparks debate ahead of South Africa tour

For more reliable and latest news