Kapil Dev gives verdict on 'ill-timed' tussle between Virat Kohli & BCCI's Sourav Ganguly

Former India captain Kapil Dev believes that Virat Kohli's statements, which revealed a disagreement between him and the BCCI over the white-ball captaincy, were made at the wrong time, and that it could jeopardise the team's success on the upcoming tour to South Africa. In an interview with ABP News, the 1983 World Cup-winning cricketer advised Kohli to focus on the South Africa series, saying, "It is not appropriate to point fingers at anyone at this moment in time." Kapil went on to say that criticising each other in public, whether it's Sourav Ganguly or Virat Kohli, is not a good thing. Kapil stated that it is more important to think about the country now than to aggravate the matter.

Virat Kohli on Wednesday addressed a press conference where he cleared the air around several decisions made by the BCCI in the past few weeks. Contradicting BCCI president Sourav Ganguly's statement, Kohli said he was never told by anyone from the board not to step down as India's T20I captain. Kohli further remarked that he was only informed about the change in ODI leadership before his call with selectors to discuss the Test team for South Africa series earlier this month. Rohit Sharma has been appointed the new ODI captain by the BCCI. 

"It is not good to point fingers on anybody at this point in time. The South Africa tour is coming and please pay attention to the tour. I would say the Board president is the Board president but yes the Indian cricket team captain is also a big thing. But talking badly about each other in public, I don't think it is a good thing, whether it is Sourav or Kohli. Please control the situation and it's better to think about the country now," Kapil was quoted as saying to ABP News by PTI. 

As far as the Indian cricket team is concerned, the side left for South Africa early on Thursday morning following a three-day quarantine period in Mumbai. The Indian team flew out of Mumbai on a chartered flight and is expected to reach Johannesburg by afternoon. India's Tour of South Africa now features a three-match Test series followed by as many ODI games, with the four T20Is, which were part of the original schedule, to be played at a later date. Here is a complete look at the revised IND vs SA tour schedule. 

Tests:

1st Test: 26-30 December, Centurion

2nd test: 3-7 January, Johannesburg

3rd Test: 11-15 January, Cape Town

ODIs:

1st ODI: 19 January, Paarl

2nd ODI: 21 January, Paarl

3rd ODI: 23 January, Cape Town

Image: AP/PTI