Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt reacted to BCCI’s decision to sack the Chetan Sharma-led four-member selection committee, as he was criticizing the Indian selectors for their decision to remove Virat Kohli as captain just because he failed to win a World Cup.
He said the recently sacked selection committee made many questionable decisions, including removing Kohli as the ODI captain, and despite the changes, Team India has not improved much.
Butt also questioned how many successful captains won the ICC trophy while suggesting why MS Dhoni was not given the opportunity to lead the side when he was winning the major titles.
Salman Butt said on his YouTube channel: “What was the reason for not having an out-and-out fast bowler for the T20 World Cup, when you are playing in Australia, where you have to play in Perth and Melbourne. Even when they sacked Kohli, they didn't have a valid reason.”
He continued, “They said that he did not win an ICC trophy. How many captains have won an ICC trophy? A lot of players finish their career despite not winning a trophy. So, did they win a trophy now? He was a quality captain. He wasn't the only reason why they failed to win a trophy. The team hasn't improved that much either since then.”
The veteran batter questioned why the BCCI did not appoint Dhoni as India's captain at least in T20I cricket if it was all about winning the ICC trophy.
He said, “If it was all about winning, and you needed a winning captain, it's not like MS Dhoni couldn't have played in T20Is. He is still fit. When he was there as a mentor during the T20 World Cup in UAE, only Kohli was as at fit as him. Visibly, no one looked fitter than him.”
Butt continued, “I don't know what was the planning behind it. T20 cricket is being played so frequently. There's a World Cup in every two years, and there are franchise leagues as well. When you have someone who is fit, performing and ready to go, and especially when the player can lead the team tactically, then why not (play him).”
The former Pakistan captain also blamed the BCCI and the selectors for Kohli’s struggle with the bat, saying removing him as captain led him to suffer mentally.
He explained, “Virat Kohli was doing a great job, it was unfortunate that he did not win an ICC title. But the think-tank could have thought about what were the reasons for not winning?”
Butt signed off by saying, “It was not like if you remove Virat Kohli, everything will be taken care of. The drastic change resulted in Virat Kohli's poor form, I am sure he would have suffered mentally. The rest of the guys have thought that if such a thing can happen to that person who has performed, so what will happen with us. Then the rest of the guys also get insecure about their spot within the team.”
