Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has urged that Virat Kohli must share the names of the players who he says didn’t message him after he quit Test captaincy of the Indian team this January. He said that it would have then been fair on those who wished him after he took the major call in his career.
Kohli shared this breaking news on Sunday in the post-match presser after India lost to Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2022 Super 4s encounter. The former India captain had said that it was only MS Dhoni, who had messaged him after he stepped down as India Test skipper after the South Africa Test tour.
Responding to a scribe's question on whether he received support from the cricket community during a tough phase earlier this year, Kohli said he respects those who reach out to him personally instead of making comments on television broadcasts.
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Sunil Gavaskar, speaking to India Today, said he is not attentive of the equation in the Indian dressing room and why Kohli decided to reveal the information when he was speaking on a public platform.
"I don't know what the dressing room inside situation was with all these other players, I think, ideally, if he's named one person who got in touch, maybe the other people who didn't get in touch should have also been named. Then that would have been a little bit fair to everyone concerned rather than thinking everybody else didn't get in touch with him," Gavaskar said.
Kohli decided to step down as T20I captain after the World Cup in the UAE last year. However, Kohli did not get a fairytale farewell as India exited the World Cup before reaching the knockout stage. He was then replaced as ODI captain with Rohit Sharma by BCCI despite his willingness to captain the team.
Gavaskar also opined on players heaping praise on their current captains and coaches, adding that questions about the dressing room environment and called it "futile". This came after Kohli praised current skipper Rohit Sharma and coach Rahul Dravid for welcoming him back after his break and helping him get back his mojo.
“I am just saying what I feel when I hear the comments coming about the current leadership. One of the most futile questions that I hear during an IPL Q and A session between the commentators and the Man of the Match asking about the current coach and the current captain. Is that current player ever going to say anything against the current captain and coach? That's a futile question. Nobody, anybody, who is mindful of his career, is going to cut his feet by saying something stupid about the current regime," Gavaskar added.
(India Today inputs)
