"Sourav Ganguly had no business to speak on behalf of the selection committee" - Dilip Vengsarkar on Virat Kohli captaincy issue
Former Indian cricketer Dilip Vengsarkar has questioned the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Sourav Ganguly over the mishandling of the entire Virat Kohli captaincy episode. Vengsarkar is unimpressed with the unceremonious sacking of the champion cricketer as ODI skipper.
Calling the recent developments 'unfortunate', Vengsarkar suggested the hullabaloo regarding the split captaincy should have been handled in a professional manner by the BCCI. He also called out Ganguly for speaking on behalf of national selectors.
Here's what Dilip Vengsarkar told the Khaleej Times:
"It’s very unfortunate, the whole thing. I think it should have been handled more professionally by the cricket board. The thing is that Ganguly had no business to speak on behalf of the selection committee. Ganguly is the president of BCCI. Any issue about selection or captaincy, it’s the chairman of the selection committee who should speak."
Kohli, who had relinquished his T20 captaincy earlier this year, was removed as the team's ODI skipper as well because selectors did not want two separate white-ball captains.
Meanwhile, Ganguly claimed that he had asked Kohli to continue as the leader in the shortest format. However, the right-hander contradicted the BCCI president's claim in a press conference before leaving for the South Africa tour.
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"Ganguly spoke about the whole thing, obviously Virat wanted to make his case clear" - Dilip Vengsarkar
The 65-year-old opined that the chairman of the selection committee should have dealt with the issue. He remarked that the selection or removal of the team's captain is not one of Ganguly's responsibilities.
Vengsarkar also reckoned that Kohli must be disappointed with the mistreatment, considering he has contributed significantly to the team over the years. He feels that India's Test skipper just wanted to share his side of the story through the press conference. Vengsarkar said:
"Ganguly spoke about the whole thing, obviously, Virat wanted to make his case clear. I believe it should have been between the chairman of the selection committee and the captain. A captain is selected or removed by the selection committee that’s not Ganguly’s jurisdiction at all."
Vengsarkar added:
"Yes, things should change now. Kohli, you have to respect him. He has done so much for the country, so much for Indian cricket. But how they dealt with him, it must have definitely hurt him."
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Kohli will lead the Indian Test team in the upcoming three-match Test series in South Africa. The opening encounter is set to begin on December 26 at the SuperSport Park in Centurion.