Indian superstar Virat Kohli‘s decision to withdraw from captaincy created a lot of buzz and controversy. It has been seven months since that episode, but the topic still attracts a lot of attention. Notably, Kohli had announced that he would be resigning as India’s T20I captain, but soon BCCI replaced him with Rohit Sharma as India’s ODI skipper.
The development of shifting in captaincy caused a huge uproar in Indian cricket. Then in January, Kohli announced his withdrawal as India’s Test captain as well. There were reports of a rift between him and the BCCI, as many claimed that Kohli wasn’t treated well by the apex-cricketing body.
However, in an interview with a senior journalist, BCCI treasurer Arun Singh Dhumal has now revealed that it was Virat’s decision himself that he didn’t want to continue as captain.
“See… as far as Virat is concerned, he is not a simple player. He is great, and his contribution to Indian cricket is unparalleled. It is outstanding. So, such conversations (the board is trying to sideline Kohli) keep taking place in the media, and it does not affect us. We want him to return to form soon, and as far as team selection is concerned, we leave it to the selectors. It is their call as to how they want to go about it,” said Dhumal.
“As far as the issue of captaincy is concerned, it was his call. He decided that mujhe ab nahi karni hai captaincy (that I don’t want to captain). It is possible that someone feels it’s best to do it after the World Cup, but that is their point of view. But he wanted to quit, and it was purely his decision. And we respected it. He has contributed so much to Indian cricket that everyone in the cricket board respects him. We would like to see Virat in action on the ground,” he added.