IND vs SA 2021-22: India Test skipper Virat Kohli makes himself available for ODIs against South Africa

Virat Kohli addressed the media for the first time after being dropped as the ODI skipper. He clarified that he is available for the ODIs in South Africa.

During the upcoming South Africa tour, the Indian cricketing fraternity was desperate to know Virat Kohli's status in the One-Day International (ODI) series. After being dropped as the ODI skipper and being replaced by Rohit Sharma, reports started to do rounds that he would be skipping the ODIs. Meanwhile, he addressed the media for the first time since the incident to clear the air.

False reports of ODI unavailability
Being held in Mumbai, before India's departure to South Africa, Kohli addressed that he never had any discussions with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) regarding taking a break during the ODIs. He asserted that he is always available for the ODIs in SA. Also, he labelled the reports of him skipping the ODIs as invalid and incorrect, questioning the sources.

ODI captaincy
He also spoke about him being dropped from the ODI captaincy. He recalled that it was one and a half hours ago on that day when he had a discussion with the national selectors. He revealed that meetings were held between the two regarding it, and Kohli readily agreed to it. He never had any issues with Rohit being handed the captaincy duties.

Reason for drop
Reasoning on his drop as the ODI skipper, Kohli said that the early ouster of Team India in the 2021 ICC World T20 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was one of the reasons. Also, he ascribed that he respected the decision by the BCCI, and he always keeps the team ahead of himself.

Relationship with Rohit
On being asked about his relationship with Rohit, he said, "I have said this before as well. There are no relationship issues between Rohit and me. I have been clarifying the same thing for the past couple of years. It's about time people stop speculating about this, as I am getting tired of it."