"The question is not who is telling the truth and who is lying" - Aakash Chopra on the Virat Kohli captaincy saga
Aakash Chopra has highlighted that contradictory statements coming from the BCCI and Virat Kohli are harming Indian cricket.
BCCI president Sourav Ganguly had said that both he and the selectors personally spoke to Kohli and asked him not to relinquish the T20I captaincy. There were even reports of the Indian Test captain wanting to skip the ODI series against South Africa and about rifts between him and Rohit Sharma.
However, Virat Kohli in his press conference yesterday stated that no one had asked him not to quit the T20I captaincy. He also denied ever having asked for a break during the South Africa ODI series and dismissed the possibility of any differences between him and the new limited-overs skipper.
Virat Kohli rubbishes all claims of rifts between him and Rohit Sharma.
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Reflecting on the developments in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra pointed out that it is a body blow to Indian cricket no matter who is at fault. He said:
"The question is not who is telling the truth and who is lying, who is right and who is wrong. The question is why this is happening because it is not about you and me, it's not about him or the other guy, the fact is that the loser is actually Indian cricket."
The cricketer-turned-commentator questioned the intentions of the people who are spreading rumors. Chopra elaborated:
"I was slightly surprised. I was reading a line that truth can be stranger than fiction, that's exactly how it has happened. Virat Kohli said he never asked for leave, the news had come that he had asked for leave even before Rohit Sharma was named the captain. I mean this is a communication breakdown. Who is doing this and why is somebody doing this?"
BCCI treasurer Arun Dhumal had previously said that Virat Kohli's request for a break had nothing to do with the limited-overs reins being handed to Rohit Sharma and that it was made before the decision.
"That actually left a sour taste in the mouth" - Aakash Chopra on BCCI's communication to Virat Kohli
Aakash Chopra highlighted that Virat Kohli wished to remain India's ODI skipper and it was up to the selectors to take the final call. He observed:
"The second thing is the ODI captaincy, that actually left a sour taste in the mouth. When Kohli had released his statement, he had said that he is quitting the T20I captaincy but would want to continue being Test and ODI skipper. Captaincy is not a right but a privilege. You cannot take a privilege for granted, that it is your right."
While acknowledging that the selectors might have taken the right call by relieving Virat Kohli of ODI captaincy duties as well, the 44-year-old added that the communication should have been better. Chopra stated:
"But when you are talking about one of the most successful captains of your country and you want to replace him as captain, which is absolutely fine, but it is necessary to talk and not just inform."
Virat Kohli says there was no prior communication on the ODI captaincy shift.
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Virat Kohli revealed that Chetan Sharma, the chairman of the Indian selection committee, only communicated his removal as ODI skipper one-and-a-half hours before the meeting to select the Test side for the South Africa tour.