Sourav Ganguly confirms BCCI axed Virat Kohli as Team India's ODI captain; statement here

BCCI president Sourav Ganguly reveals Virat Kohli was sacked as the ODI captain because the selection committee did not feel it was right to have a different captain for two-white ball formats.

The decision was made after Kohli decided to step down as the skipper of the T20I side, a decision that the BCCI had requested the 33-year old not to take.

Sourav Ganguly reveals BCCI sacked Virat Kohli

Sourav Ganguly told ANI, "It's a call that the BCCI and the selectors took together. Actually, the BCCI had requested Virat to not step down as the T20I skipper, but obviously, he did not agree. And the selectors then did not feel it right to have two different captains for two white-ball formats. So it was decided that Virat will continue as Test captain and Rohit will take over as the white-ball captain. I as President personally spoke to Virat Kohli and the chairman of selectors has also spoken to him. We have full faith in Rohit Sharma's leadership abilities, and Virat will continue as the Test captain. We as BCCI are confident that Indian cricket is in good hands. We thank Virat Kohli for his contributions as captain in the white-ball format."

Virat Kohli may have been sacked due to trust issues

According to PTI, the players had trust issues and communication gaps when Virat Kohli was the skipper. Hence, Rohit Sharma was deemed a better option as he has a history of guiding the younger generation. On September 16, a former cricketer said,

"The problem with Virat is his communication. In the case of MS (Dhoni), his room would be open 24x7 and players could just walk in, play the PS4, have a meal and let their hair down and if required talk cricket. Beyond the ground, Kohli is literally incommunicado. Rohit has shades of MSD but in a different manner. He takes the junior players out for meals, gives them a friendly pat on the back when they are down and knows the mental aspects of a player's make-up inside out. The biggest problem with Virat has always been trust issues. He speaks about clear communication but where he had lost respect as a leader is lack of communication."

While the reality may never be known, speculations are likely to continue regarding why Kohli was sacked. Ever since the decision was made, several netizens took to their social media accounts, highlighting that the least the 33-year old deserved was a better farewell.