"Definitely something is going on" - Twitterati seek truth after Virat Kohli contradicts Sourav Ganguly over captaincy move
Virat Kohli, in a much-awaited press conference on Wednesday, claimed that he was never asked to continue as T20I captain of the Indian team, stirring a new controversy.
Kohli’s statement contradicted BCCI President Sourav Ganguly’s claim. A few days ago, Ganguly commented that he had personally requested the star batter not to give up T20 captaincy.
Asked to shed light on the matter, Kohli clarified during the press conference:
"I was never told that I should not leave T20I captaincy. On the contrary, when I told BCCI that I want to give up T20I captaincy, it was accepted really well. There was no hesitation over that. It was seen as a progressive step."
Kohli added:
"At that time, I communicated that I would like to continue leading in ODIs and Tests. I had clarified the same on call back then. The communication with BCCI from my side was clear. I also told them that if the office bearers and selectors felt I should not be the captain, then they could make a decision regarding the same.”
Following Kohli’s revelation, cricket fans have been left wondering which direction Indian cricket is heading in.
How Twitter reacted to Kohli's statement on T20 captaincy
There have been plenty of reactions on Twitter to Kohli's claim that the BCCI never requested him to not give up the T20I captaincy.
While some asked Ganguly to respond over the matter, others felt something was amiss in Indian cricket. Here are some tweets over the matter:
"I was never told that I should not leave T20I cricket captaincy" - Virat Kohli
Sourvav Ganguly: I personally requested him (Kohli) not to give up the T20I captaincy
Niceeee, very nice.
#SAvIND
‘I was contacted one and half hour before test selection and at end of the call I was told by the 5 selectors that I won’t be captaining the ODI side’ @imVkohli breaks silence. A Shoddy and badly handled ‘sacking’. @BCCI needs an HR and communication team. @SGanguly99 @JayShah
Be it captaincy or coaching,every time Rahul Dravid takes an important role in Indian cricket team,he has to deal with a mess involving Sourav Ganguly !
He'd be like - https://t.co/LyAr6dVgQ1
It is absolutely essential @chetans1987 sits in press conferences. You have to make selectors accessible. It is essential for transparency. @BCCI
"I requested Virat to not step down as T20 captain" ~ Ganguly
"I was not told by anyone to not leave the T20 captaincy" ~ #ViratKohli
Definitely something is going on 😐
I have been shouting for last few days… I want to hear Virat’s version…and today Virat Said Sourav Ganguly never spoke to him about t20 captaincy… Did Sourav Ganguly Lie…??? Come and clarify Sourav Ganguly @BCCI
Sourav Ganguly - I personally requested Virat Kohli to not step down from T20i captaincy.
Virat Kohli - I wasn't told to not leave the T20i captaincy.
- Very poor from the BCCI and the president.
Ganguly: i requested kohli personally to continue as t20 captain
Kohli:no one requested me infact it was taken as a progressive step
@SGanguly99 speak out now https://t.co/YFilfV4TGg
Respect for Virat Kohli increased manifolds after today's P. C. The way he exposed Dada Ganguly,greedy journalists and BCCI was a GOAT performance off the field. Well done King Kohli.Kohli 2.0 for next 5-6 years with Bat.
I was never a Ganguly fan during his playing days but thought a star player as administrator would do the sport a lot of good. However, he continues to indulge in shady politics that we wanted to get rid of.
Good cricketers need not to be good cricket administrators, Sourav Ganguly is the prime example of a top cricketer but a failed administrator!
Now what you have to say @BCCI @SGanguly99 @JayShah
Stop this politics...You want ruin career of a great player like @imVkohli
But we are going to be with him no matter what ❤️ #KickOutShahGanguly #ShameOnBCCI #KingKohli twitter.com/CricCrazyJohns…
Ganguly - I personally requested Virat Kohli to not step down from T20i captaincy.
Kohli - I wasn't told to not leave the T20i captaincy.
Ganguly to BCCI Cameraman - https://t.co/PX2YHMOfDV
Sourav Ganguly speak up now!!! https://t.co/XIedkaEVfi
Virat says he was never told to not leave the T20I captaincy by anyone in the BCCI. Sourav Ganguly had earlier said he had asked Virat not to quit captaincy in T20s. Surely, they both are not on the same page. #ViratKohli
Either @imVkohli or @SGanguly99 is not telling the entire truth. Sad.
Virat Kohli rubbishes claims of 'rift' with Rohit Sharma
During the press conference, Kohli also rubbished all reports of an alleged rift with Rohit Sharma, the man who has replaced him as ODI captain.
Issuing a clarification, the Indian Test skipper said:
"Me and Rohit, I have said this before a lot of times that we don't have any problems between us. Honestly, I have been regularly clarifying this for the last two-two and a half years and I am tired of clarifying this, this question is asked to me again and again.
"And I can guarantee one thing to you that as long as I am playing cricket, any action, or any communication will never be to pull down the team."
Rohit Sharma has been ruled out of the Test series in South Africa due to a hamstring injury. There is no clarity over his availability for the one-day series yet.