TATA IPL 2023, saw Virat Kohli hog the headlines on and off the field. The former Indian and RCB skipper was in amazing form with the bat. Kohli scored 2 centuries in back to back games against Hyderabad and Gujarat. That though, did not help Bangalore reach the play off places and beyond, making their wait for an IPL title grow longer. Off the field too Kohli was involved in headlines due to his spat with Gautam Gambhir. Kohli was also involved in an incident with former Indian captain and BCCI supremo Sourav Ganguly during the RCB vs Delhi game.
The story as it happened –
Virat Kohli and Sourav Ganguly were snubbing each other during the customary handshake at the end of the game. The two names aren’t known to have a great chemistry as it was during the BCCI stint of Ganguly, that Kohli had stepped down from the captaincy.
Ganguly makes a huge claim –
India lost another ICC title, when they lost the final of the World Test Championships to Australia by 209 runs. All the talk is again centered on the captaincy with Rohit Sharma being called out by a few fans and former cricketers.
Ganguly, while speaking to media outlet Aaj Tak touched on the Virat Kohli’s test captaincy. Ganguly said “BCCI was not prepared for Virat Kohli, leaving the test captaincy. It was unexpected for us also after the South Africa tour. Only Virat Kohli can reveal why he left the captaincy. There is no point talking about this now because Virat Kohli left the test captaincy, selectors had to appoint an India captain and Rohit was the best option at that time”
Ganguly throws his weight behind Rohit Sharma –
Virat Kohli stepped down as the skipper after India’s loss to South Africa in early 2022 with a 2-1 margin. The next series against Sri Lanka saw Rohit Sharma take charge and win the series 2-0.
While speaking on Rohit Sharma, the former Indian skipper said “at that time, Rohit Sharma looked the best alternative. He had won 5 IPL titles. Whenever he had been handed the captaincy, like in the Asia Cup, he’s won. He was the best option. He’s led the team in the WTC final as well this time round, even though we lost”
Dada has full faith in Rohit as the Indian captain –
Despite the loss in the WTC final, Sourav Ganguly has full faith in the leadership qualities of Rohit Sharma. The Indian skipper has been under fire for his decision making which saw Ravi Ashwin not being picked for the biggest game of the year in test cricket.
Ganguly further said “I have full faith in Rohit. He and MS Dhoni have won 5 IPL titles. Winning the IPL isn’t easy because it’s a tough tournament. Winning the IPL is more difficult than winning a World Cup as there are 14 matches after which you take part in the play-offs. In the World Cup, it takes only 4-5 matches for the place in the semis. In the IPL, it takes 17 matches for you to become champions”
Ganguly implores aggressive captaincy –
In 2003, it was under the captaincy of Sourav Ganguly that India reached the World Cup final after 20 years. India lost only two games that edition both to Australia, once in the league phase and then in the final where Ricky Ponting scored a ton to take Australia to 359/2 before winning the game by 125 runs.
The former Indian captain asked Rohit to play aggressive cricket, and said “I want him to lead the team without any fear. We have a world cup six months later. A team that has Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya, Jadeja, Bumrah… we don’t know if he will be fit by then, Shami and Siraj… that team will win sometime. In my opinion .. I have played with Rahul Dravid and have a lot of respect for him. He can take this team forward with Rohit only”