The Virat Kohli captaincy saga is not showing any signs of ending, with many former cricketers continuing to share their opinions on one of the biggest controversies in the history of Indian cricket.
Recently, former India fast bowler Atul Wassan reacted to the ugly spat between Kohli and the BCCI, saying it was the BCCI’s decision to remove the right-hander as India’s ODI captain as he felt the national selectors could not have taken such a big call, especially related to captaincy.
However, in his explosive press conference, Kohli revealed that he was informed by the Indian selectors about the decision to remove him as India's ODI captain, but only one and a half hours before the formal announcement. He had stepped down as India’s T20I captain after the T20 World Cup 2021.
Wassan told CNN News18: “I think Virat wanted to carry on till the 2023 World Cup, and they have done well in one-day cricket. We have not won any big trophy but generally, we have done well. He is the premium one-day batter in the world. It could have been handled better and there was no need to jump to an immediate reaction.”
He further added, “Unless the board wants to send out a signal, that 'Virat… ok, enough is enough. You are not doing well and we haven't won much, so this is a penalty’. That's what happened. It is not the selectors' call; it is the board's decision.”
On being asked what could be the reason behind sacking Kohli, Wassan said: “It's a culmination of many things, and the biggest factor is Virat's form. That has contributed. If Virat was doing well and even if India did not win, nobody would have touched him, and also Ravi Shastri's moving out. They worked really well.”
He further explained, “With Ravi Shastri going out and a new style of thinking coming in… Rahul Dravid is a no-nonsense guy. He would call it right away. And probably that rankling of what happened with Anil Kumble as well. All these things got piled up to the point where people said, ‘alright, let us look forward’. Virat would feel that he has been hard done by.”
Wassan signed off by saying, “A collective thought must have circulated among the top brass. They must have thought that this is the right time to clip Kohli's wings so that he isn't allowed to do what he likes, and especially with Ravi no longer being there.”
