Virat Kohli vs BCCI: Sunil Gavaskar asks Sourav Ganguly to explain ‘why there is discrepancy’

Days after Kohli stepped down as Team India’s T20I captain, BCCI chief Sourav Ganguly revealed that the board had requested the former skipper to not relinquish the captaincy in the shortest format.

BCCI president Sourav Ganguly (right) and secretary Jay Shah. (Source: Twitter)

After Virat Kohli contradicted Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Sourav Ganguly’s remarks about the former skipper’s decision to step down as India’s captain in T20I format, legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar said that the BCCI chief should be asked ‘why there is this discrepancy’.

Days after Kohli stepped down as Team India’s T20I captain, BCCI chief Ganguly revealed that the board had requested the former skipper to not relinquish the captaincy in the shortest format. However, on Wednesday (December 16), Test captain Kohli claimed that the Indian cricket board never asked him to reconsider giving up the captaincy in the shortest format.

With the contradictory claims from Kohli and Ganguly, Gavaskar reacted to the development, saying, “I think it (Kohli’s comments) actually doesn’t bring the BCCI into the picture. I think it’s the individual who has to be asked where he got the impression he had conveyed such a message to Kohli.

“So that’s the only thing. Ganguly is the BCCI president and surely he should be asked why there is this discrepancy. He is probably the best person to ask about the discrepancy in what you seem to have to say and what the Indian captain has said,” Gavaskar was quoted as saying by India Today.

Amit Mishra call for more ‘transparency’

Former Indian spinner Amit Mishra feels that there should be transparency between the players and the management to maintain an unhindered flow of communication. Mishra’s statement came after India’s Test skipper Virat Kohli claimed that no prior communication happened between him and the selectors before he was removed as the captain of the ODI team.

The row erupted after Rohit Sharma was named India’s new ODI skipper last week and took the reins from Kohli as India gear up for the South Africa series.

“This is not the first time it has happened. It happened before also and I feel that a player who has performed so much for the country and worked so hard, should have a right to know why he has been removed from the team or for a particular position. A player should know where he is lacking and should improve on that aspect,” Amit Mishra told news agency ANI.

Talking about the rumours of the rift between Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, the off-spinner said that both the players are professionals and have a positive approach towards everything. “These things are not true. Both the players have such a positive approach towards life. They have good communication even when they are on-field. They always give their 100 per cent for the team. I think Virat has done a great job as a captain and now it’s Rohit’s turn to showcase his game and prove himself to be a great player and a captain,” said the off-spinner.

(with Agency inputs)