Former players say 'loser is actually Indian cricket' amid Virat Kohli vs Ganguly saga

India Test skipper Virat Kohli answered many questions concerning the recent changes the Indian cricket team has undergone in the past week during his press conference ahead of Team India’s departure for their tour of South Africa. One of the questions Kohli faced was about the communication he had with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) regarding his removal from ODI and T20 captaincy. Following Rohit Sharma’s selection as the ODI captain of India on December 8, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly earlier made claims stating Kohli was asked not to hang his boots in the T20 format. 

Once Kohli did so, the board couldn’t afford to have separate skippers in the limited-overs formats of cricket. However, Kohli revealed during Wednesday’s media interaction, his decision to quit the T20I captaincy and continue to lead in the Test format was well accepted by the cricket governing body and selectors. Kohli denied the BCCI president’s claim, which in turn put questions on the communication by the board with its players and received reactions from many prominent faces of Indian cricket. 

What did the cricket fraternity say about the Virat Kohli vs Sourav Ganguly saga?

Former Indian wrist spinner Amit Mishra spoke to ANI following Kohli’s press conference and said this was not the first time something like this has happened. Weighing into the opinion that a hard-working player should have the right to know beforehand if he is going to be removed from a particular position or from the team.

At the same time, former India selector Sarandeep Singh speaking to ANI expressed his views on the Kohli vs Ganguly saga by saying, “It is the duty of the selection committee to select the players and appoint the captain. BCCI does not play any role in the selection process. The statements given by Virat in the press conference today were a bit shocking. Things shouldn't have gone wrong the way they did”. He also added that such situations bring losses only to Indian cricket.

Former India left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha also shared his thoughts on the recent developments and tweeted saying a good chef knows what to do while preparing a delicious dish, adding, the reputation of the kitchen is always on the chef. He also took to his official Koo account on Wednesday and said the events were unnecessary and hoped Indian cricket will focus on the work now.

Meanwhile, former cricketer Aakash Chopra took to his official Twitter handle and uploaded a video speaking about Kohli’s denial of the claims made by Sourav Ganguly. Explaining the events, Chopra said everyone wants an answer to the question about missing piece of conversation and in due course of time someone will come out and explain the series of events.

(Image: AP)