Virat Kohli’s childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma has broken his silence on the current split-captaincy discussion in Indian cricket, following the superstar cricketer’s replacement as ODI skipper by Rohit Sharma last week.
Rajkumar Sharma thought that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) selectors should have requested Kohli to step down as captain for both T20Is and ODIs, or not replaced the captain at all.
Many were surprised by the BCCI’s news on the ODI leadership change, considering Kohli had clearly said in his statement that he was looking forward to leading the squad in ODIs and Tests.
Virat Kohli’s childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma on the captaincy change
The All India Senior Selection Committee took the significant decision to replace Virat Kohli as the Indian cricket team’s ODI skipper with Rohit Sharma. Rajkumar Sharma, Kohli’s boyhood coach, decided to contact his old pupil about the situation. Kohli, on the other hand, did not receive Rajkumar’s call.
Rajkumar Sharma recently gave specifics of what he knew during an interview on a podcast.
“I haven’t talked to him (Virat Kohli) yet. His phone is switched off for some reason. But as far as my opinion is concerned, he had specifically stepped down from T20 captaincy and the selectors should’ve straightaway asked him to step down from both the white-ball formats, or not step down at all,” Sharma said.
Sourav Ganguly, president of the BCCI, recently addressed the matter, stating that the selectors were opposed to having two leaders for T20Is and ODIs since it would generate confusion in the team. Sharma expressed amazement at the former India captain’s remarks.
“I read Sourav Ganguly’s comments recently that they had asked Kohli to not step down from T20I captaincy (before the World Cup). I don’t recall anything like that. This statement came as a surprise to me. There are different statements circulating around,” Sharma added.
Sharma also urged the selection committee to be more transparent in its decision-making process.
“The selection committee doesn’t provide a reason behind the decision. We don’t know what the management or the BCCI or the selectors want. There’s no clarification, no transparency at all. It’s a pity how this has happened. He has been such a successful one-day captain,” Sharma concluded.
