Former Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President Sourav Ganguly has revealed that he was surprised like everyone else when he heard about Virat Kohli's decision to step down as the Test captain of the Indian cricket team after their tour of South Africa in early 2022.
Ganguly, in an interaction with Aaj Tak, also confirmed that Kohli was not asked to relinquish his role as the T20 captain ahead of the 2021 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates.
The former Indian captain stated the Kohli's decision to quit Test captaincy came as a surprise. He further added that only Kohli can explain why he took that decision.
“No (on whether BCCI was prepared on Kohli giving up Test captaincy). Not after the South Africa series. I don’t know (why he did so), only he can tell,” Ganguly said.
In early 2022, following India's series loss in South Africa, Kohli took to social media to announce his decision to step down as Test captain.
When asked if Kohli could have led the team better in a game where India seemed to be on the back foot from day one, Ganguly replied, “There’s no point in saying that right now. Because the captain had left his role by himself. There’s no point in talking about this now. The selectors had to appoint a captain.”
Ganguly also praised Rohit Sharma's captaincy, highlighting his successes in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Ganguly said he has faith in Rohit, stating, "I believe Rohit was the best option then and even now. Only he and MS Dhoni have won the IPL five times, no one else."
Regarding the difficulty of winning the IPL, Ganguly mentioned that it is far more challenging to win the IPL than win the World Cup. He explained that winning the IPL requires playing 14 matches in the league stage itself, and almost 16-17 matches if you go the distance, whereas, in the World Cup, teams can qualify for the semifinals after 4-5 matches.
Looking ahead to the upcoming ODI World Cup, Ganguly believes that Rohit Sharma and the team are strong contenders for the title, particularly since the tournament will be held in India. Ganguly expressed his desire for Rohit to lead the team without fear and shared his confidence in both Rohit and Rahul Dravid to guide the team forward. He advised the team to play fearlessly and perform their best in the tournament.
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