"It seems that there's a big communication gap between BCCI and Virat Kohli"- Sandeep Patil
Former Indian cricketer and national selector Sandeep Patil has welcomed Virat Kohli’s decision to quit the the T20I captaincy. The 32-year-old Kohli brought an end to all the speculation surrounding his captaincy future in white-ball cricket by announcing his decision to relinquish leadership in the shortest format after the upcoming 2021 T20 World Cup.
Speaking to the Times of India, Patil reckoned that captaining the country in all formats for such a long time can take a toll on an individual. He believes the decision will help Virat Kohli focus more on his batting.
Patil said:
"I welcome Virat's step. Captaincy does play on your mind. Captaining the side and concentrating on your batting at the same time is not an easy job, especially as there's so much cricket these days. This step will 100% help him focus more on his batting."
Kohli has led India in 45 T20Is, winning 27 and losing 14. He is the only Asian skipper to register bilateral series wins in England, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. Under him, India lost just one bilateral T20I rubber [in which more than one match was played] and the former world champions haven’t lost a T20I series since February 2019 when they lost to Australia 0-2 on home soil.
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The Indian skipper cited immense workload as the reason behind his decision to quit the leadership role in T20 cricket.
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"Rohit Sharma is a fit choice to replace Virat Kohli as the India T20 captain" - Sandeep Patil
The 1983 World Cup winner also alluded to a potential gap in communication between the BCCI and skipper Kohli.
Patil cited the statements of secretary Jay Shah and Treasurer Arun Dhumal earlier this week, when both office bearers rubbished media reports regarding rumors claiming Virat Kohli could quit the T20I captaincy.
He said:
"It seems that there's a big communication gap between BCCI and Virat. You can't have Virat say one thing and the BCCI another. Just a couple of days back, there was a story in TOI about him quitting as a white-ball captain to focus on his batting. However, the BCCI treasurer Arun Dhumal rubbished that news quickly. This is purely Virat's decision, and the BCCI should just accept it."
The former hard-hitting batsman also backed Virat Kohli’s potential replacement Rohit Sharma to do a great job as India’s T20 skipper.
"Rohit (Sharma) has done a great job while leading the Mumbai Indians. I feel that he's a fit choice to replace Virat as the India T20 captain. Rohit has proved his mettle," he said.
While the BCCI is yet to formally announce Virat Kohli’s replacement, it appears certain that Sharma will succeed his compatriot post the T20 World Cup.