NEW DELHI, India, Dec 6: Sourav Ganguly, the ex-captain and former president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), has clarified his involvement in the noteworthy period during which Virat Kohli stepped down as T20I captain and was subsequently ousted as ODI captain. Ganguly held the position of BCCI chief during that time, and Kohli had expressed his disappointment over being removed as the captain of the ODI team in December 2021.

The series of events leading to Virat Kohli's dismissal as ODI captain and the subsequent explosive press conference by the former captain before the South Africa tour in December-January 2021-22 caused a significant commotion. During a recent television appearance, Sourav Ganguly revisited that period and asserted that he did not play a role in influencing Kohli's removal as ODI captain.

"I did not strip Virat of the captaincy; I've reiterated this multiple times. He (Kohli) expressed disinterest in leading in T20Is. Consequently, after he made that choice, I suggested that if he wasn't keen on leading in T20Is, it would be better for him to step down from white-ball cricket altogether. This way, we could have separate captains for white-ball and red-ball formats," stated Ganguly in response to a video during a television show, Dadagiri Unlimited Season 10.

The BCCI's sudden decision to remove Kohli as ODI captain lacked proper communication, according to Kohli. In a fiery press conference, he disclosed that he was informed of the decision merely 90 minutes before the team selection for the South Africa tour. Kohli contradicted Ganguly's assertion that the board had asked him not to resign from the T20I captaincy. Kohli clarified that no such request was made and reiterated that he had been transparent about his intention to step down from the T20I captaincy after the World Cup.

Kohli's accusations of inadequate communication stood in stark contrast to the viewpoint of the BCCI leadership. Ganguly had previously explained that the choice to designate Rohit Sharma as the exclusive captain for white-ball cricket was aimed at avoiding the presence of two distinct captains in the white-ball formats. The BCCI maintained that having a single captain for both ODI and T20I formats would enhance leadership cohesion within the team.

The controversy intensified with the response of Chetan Sharma, the former chairman of selectors, to Kohli's remarks. Sharma underscored that the decision to replace Kohli was grounded in the selectors' belief that a unified approach to white-ball cricket was essential. He also highlighted that everyone, including BCCI office bearers, had urged Kohli to reconsider his decision to step down from the T20I captaincy ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup.