Ex-India players dissect BCCI's decision to replace Virat Kohli with Rohit as ODI skipper

Former Indian cricketers like Nikhil Chopra, Aakash Chopra, Atul Wassan, Saba Karim, and Kirti Azad have expressed their views on Rohit Sharma being appointed as the ODI skipper of the Indian team, and Kohli getting sacked from his role. The All-India Senior Selection Committee decided to replace Kohli with Rohit as the ODI skipper, alongside the responsibility in the T20 format going forward in the future. Kohli led India in a total of 95 ODI matches and had a winning percentage of more than 70% as the Indian skipper in the ODI format.

What did Aakash Chopra and Atul Wassan say?

Meanwhile, former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra took to his official Twitter handle on Thursday and expressed his thoughts by saying that Rohit’s appointment as the leader in ODI was written on the wall and also mentioned that it makes sense too. As per a report by ANI, former cricketer Atul Wassan opined on the topic by saying that Kohli has realized that he cannot essay the captaincy roles in all three formats of the game. Speaking to ANI, he said, “I don't think it is the removal of Virat. Virat himself has consciously realised that he cannot lead all three formats. He was struggling and every player goes through this bad patch. He has set such high standards for himself that even 40-50s are not counted but he also expects a lot from him”.

Kirti Azad backs BCCI's decision

At the same time, former cricketer Kirti Azad also expressed his views by supporting the Indian Team management’s decision. Speaking to ANI, he said, “Well change is constant. This happens Rohit has been doing well and Virat had said that he wanted to be away from the captaincy in limited-overs. So, the right person to get into his place is Rohit Sharma. That's a call by the selectors. Virat wanted it but selectors thought that Rohit Sharma should come in and that's about it. I don't find anything wrong with it." He further added that the importance of a player in the team is not measured by his captaincy. 

Nikhil Chopra and Syed Saba Karim's views

Opining on the matter during a conversation on Khelneeti, a cricket podcast, former cricketer Nikhil Chopra said that the move from BCCI was being expected ever since Kohli stepped down from captaincy from the T20I format and IPL. Explaining the same, Chopra added that the Indian team will have two skippers now, one for the red ball cricket and one for the white-ball formats because having two different skippers in T20Is and ODIs would have sent a wrong message to the Indian dressing room. Chopra further went on to add that India now has a golden opportunity to perform during India’s upcoming tour of South Africa.  Meanwhile, former Indian cricketer and selector Syed Saba Karim also said that Rohit’s appointment as the white-ball skipper for the Men In Blue was always on the cards. He also added that the Indian Team management including head coach Rahul Dravid must have had a talk with Kohli regarding the decision.

(With Inputs from ANI)

Image: AP/Twitter/@BCCI