Virat Kohli said that the BCCI never approached him to step down as India’s T20I captain. Kohli was particularly urged not to drop out as a T20I skipper, according to BCCI President Sourav Ganguly, who also revealed that Kohli handed up the leadership in the T20I format. We discussed here on the topic Butt After Virat Kohli Contradicts Sourav Ganguly’s claims.
Butt After Virat Kohli Contradicts Sourav Ganguly’s claims
Former Pakistan player Salman Butt has now stated that Ganguly must now respond to the ‘captaincy problem.‘ Butt speculated that there may be instability in the Indian camp due to the 2 contrasting remarks from Ganguly and Kohli, noting that Virat Kohli choosing the BCCI President is no small matter.
“Ganguly needs to answer this for the betterment of Indian cricket. He is the President of the BCCI and Kohli contradicting him in public is not a small thing. On one hand, Ganguly said he had requested Kohli not to step down from T20 captaincy. But Kohli has now come out and claimed that no one from BCCI ever spoke to him about it. These are two completely contrasting statements. This is unrest,” said Salman Butt.
The responsibility from one great to another was not smooth: Salman Butt
Salman Butt also believes that the major difficulty in the Indian team is not Rohit Sharma stepping in as skipper, but rather the ‘passing of the baton,’ that has not been handled smoothly. The former Pakistan opener also believes there would be a lack of confidence among Ganguly and Kohli in the long term.
“It is not a question of captaincy. Debate is not about Rohit taking over. He is a good captain and has proved himself at the international and IPL level. The procedure to pass on the responsibility from one great to another was not smooth. Unnecessary controversy has been created and there will be trust deficit between Kohli and Ganguly going ahead,” said Butt.
Butt also stated that managing the squad unity will be a task for Rohit Sharma, and that if the ‘Hitman’ survives this test, he would set up himself as a captain.
“Rohit’s biggest test now will be to keep the team united, despite all that has happened in Indian cricket in recent times. If he passes the test, he will prove to be a wonderful leader,” concluded Salman Butt.
