"As far as Kohli's team selection is concerned, we leave it to the selectors" - BCCI treasurer Arun Dhumal
The Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) treasurer Arun Dhumal responded to the talks surrounding Virat Kohli's place in the squad ahead of the 2022 T20 World Cup. The former India captain, who is in the midst of a dry patch, has been rested for the ongoing tour of West Indies and the upcoming ODI series against Zimbabwe.
The 33-year-old has had a forgettable year so far, with a clkluster home season, a poor Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign, and a dismal tour of England. He is expected to return to action for the upcoming 2022 Asia Cup, which will be pivotal for his chances of featuring in the World Cup.
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Stating that the BCCI management leaves all team selection decisions to the Chetan Sharma-led committee, Dhumal said in a conversation with journalist Vimal Kumar:
"As far as Kohli's team selection is concerned, we leave it to the selectors. It is their call as to how they want to go about it."
Reflecting back on Virat Kohli's decision to leave the captaincy across all-formats in the span of a few months, Dhumal said:
"As far as the issue of captaincy is concerned, it was Kohli's call, he decided that he does not want to do this anymore. He wanted to quit and it was his decision entirely, and we respected that decision. He has contributed so much to Indian cricket, everyone on the cricket board respects that."
The Delhi-born cricketer opted to step down from the T20I captaincy following the 2021 T20 World Cup. He was soon replaced by Rohit Sharma across both white-ball formats and then proceeded to leave the Test captaincy after the tour of South Africa.
"We never think of the Rohit vs Virat talk or comparisons" - BCCI Treasurer Arun Dhumal
While Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have repeatedly denied rumors of a rift between them, their ardent fans are hell bent on proving their idol's supremacy.
While both play for the same nation with a single goal in mind, social media is rife with comparisons between the two.
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Attributing talks of comparison to the fans' passion, Dhumal said:
"We never think of the Rohit vs Virat talk or comparisons. The fans are quite passionate and that drives them and social media is such a platform where people express their comments freely."
Claiming that social media has allowed the talk, which existed even before, to extrapolate, Dhumal concluded:
"But this is not new, we used to hear about Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev back in the day then it became between Sachin and Sourav, so this will keep going on. Social media has just amplified it."
Rohit Sharma will next be seen leading Team India in the remainder of the T20I series against the West Indies while Kohli prepares for a very testing phase.
Will Virat Kohli feature in the playing XI during the 2022 T20 World Cup? Let us know what you think.