Requesting an end to the controversies at the end of the year, Sharma insisted that there was nothing wrong between Kohli and Rohit.
More than a fortnight after Virat Kohli was asked not to reconsider his decision to step down as India’s T20I captain, national selection panel chairman Chetan Sharma has said the selectors had requested Kohli to They should not announce it during the World Cup. Campaign”.
“It was a surprise. All the selectors asked Virat to reconsider it. Please continue as captain for the sake of Indian cricket. This may affect the World Cup campaign. Everyone asked him not to announce before the World Cup. requested,” Sharma said on Friday after announcing India’s squad for the ODI series against South Africa.
Soon after the BCCI dropped Kohli as the ODI captain earlier this month, BCCI chief Sourav Ganguly had said that the BCCI had not asked Kohli to step down as the T20I captain. Despite Kohli’s rebuttal from the BCCI chief, Sharma said the selectors were not in a position to hold detailed discussions in September.
“How could we discuss it at that time? The team was on the verge of a World Cup so we tried to ask him to wait till the World Cup, but he had made up his mind,” said Sharma, of the Kohli team. It is an important party for India.
“Virat will continue to be a very important player. The selectors feel that the team revolves around him. But we feel there should be a captain for the white-ball formats. It is a tough decision but the selectors will have to take tough decisions based on the need of the hour.”
When Kohli announced in September that he would step down as India’s T20 captain after the T20 World Cup in November, his statement emphasized that he wanted to continue as ODI and Test captain. But Sharma said the selectors will have to take a tough decision for the future of Indian cricket.
Sharma said, “T20 was his decision, ODI was the selector.” There is no misunderstanding or confusion between Kohli, the selectors and the BCCI, he added.
“There is no confusion between the board and Virat. We wanted to announce the captaincy issue in advance (ODIs) because we wanted Rohit and Virat to bring it into the system. There is no communication problem between the selectors, the board and the players.
Requesting an end to the controversies at the end of the year, Sharma insisted that there was nothing wrong between Kohli and Rohit.
“Virat and Rohit are absolutely fine. Please refrain from speculation. The two make great plans together. They have wonderful companionship. They work together as a team, family and unit. Please leave controversies behind in 2021,” he said.