Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt was critical of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for the way they sacked Virat Kohli from the ODI captaincy after the Test skipper’s contradictory statements on Wednesday (December 15).
With multiple theories doing the rounds following Kohli’s explosive press conference, Butt said that BCCI President Sourav Ganguly must respond to the latter’s claims, especially about never being asked to stay on as T20I captain and sort things out for the betterment of Indian cricket.
He further said that the "contrasting statements" by Ganguly and Kohli aren't good for Indian cricket going forward, with the BCCI President claiming that he had personally requested him to carry on as T20 leader, whilst the right-hander said he was never asked for the same by anyone in the board.
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Butt said on his YouTube channel: “I truly believe whatever he (Kohli) says. He is very clear in his talk. He said that they only told him 1.5 hours before the selection of the Test team that he would no longer be the ODI captain. Now, some people might say that selectors are not obliged to tell. I don't know about that, but look at who you are talking to! He is 'the' player.”
He continued, “In the last few years, the magnitude of your cricket is based on (the success of) few individuals and he is right up there with those people. It started with Ganguly's captaincy, passed it on to Dhoni and he, then, passed it on to Kohli. His contribution as a player is no less than anyone.”
Urging the BCCI President to clarify his stance, Butt said: “Ganguly has been a big player and we all respect him, but Kohli has thrown Ganguly's claim out of the window. He very clearly said that there was no such request. He is clear in his head and in his speech. Ganguly needs to answer this for the betterment of Indian cricket.”
He added, “Ganguly needs to answer this for the betterment of Indian cricket. He is the President of the BCCI and Kohli contradicting him in public is not a small thing. On one hand, Ganguly said he had requested Kohli not to step down from T20 captaincy. But Kohli has now come out and claimed that no one from BCCI ever spoke to him about it. These are two completely contrasting statements. This is unrest.”
Butt further said there can be a trust deficit between Kohli and Ganguly moving forward following this controversy.
He signed off by saying: “It is not a question of captaincy. Debate is not about Rohit taking over. He is a good captain and has proved himself at the international and IPL level. The procedure to pass on the responsibility from one great to another was not smooth. Unnecessary controversy has been created and there will be a trust deficit between Kohli and Ganguly going ahead.”
