His word against his: How Virat Kohli and Sourav Ganguly's stance differ on ODI captaincy fiasco ahead of IND vs SA tour

He came, he spoke, and he put all the chatter to rest. India's Test captain Virat Kohli addressed a press conference for the first time since losing the white-ball captaincy in Mumbai on Wednesday and as expected, he spoke with extreme honesty and candidness. He answered the biggest burning questions doing the rounds in Indian cricket of late and with his revelations, proved BCCI president Sourav Ganguly and numerous other experts wrong. 

BCCI has been known for being tight-lipped on several major issues and their decision-making has often sparked controversies in the cricketing fraternity. As it turns out, Kohli is the latest casualty of the board's secretive behavior but the star batter made sure he cleared the air surrounding the 'captaincy snub' and his relationship with Rohit Sharma.

ALSO READ| HIGHLIGHTS FROM VIRAT KOHLI'S PRESS CONFERENCE

Both Kohli and Ganguly maintained a different stance on the captaincy fiasco. It all began with the BCCI announcing India's Test squad for the upcoming three-match series against South Africa on December 8. A minute after the disclosure of the 18-member squad, they dropped the bombshell announcement; stating that Rohit Sharma will take over the ODI captaincy along with the T20I captaincy as well.

This piece of news blew the roof off as it left fans, cricketers, and journalists absolutely baffled. Why? That's because at the time Kohli announced his resignation from T20I captaincy, he clearly stated that he will focus on leading the ODI and the Test side. Yet, a couple of months later, without any hint whatsoever, the cricketing board dropped the axe.

Four days later, on December 12, Ganguly broke his silence and revealed what had really happened. Most people bought his rationale until December 15, i.e., today, when 33-year-old Kohli provided a different picture.

Here's what both of them had to say:

GANGULY SAYS I TRIED TO CONVINCE VIRAT TO NOT RESIGN

"I personally requested him (Kohli) not to give up T20 captaincy. Obviously, he felt the workload. Which is fine, he has been a great cricketer, he has been very intense with his cricket. He has captained for a long period of time and these things happen. Because I have captained for a long period of time; therefore, I know. Also, they wanted only one white-ball captain. And that’s why this decision. I don’t know what's going to happen in future. But as I said, it’s a good team and it has some fantastic players and I hope they will turn it around," said Ganguly while speaking in an interview to News18.

KOHLI SAID HE WAS 'TOLD' HE WON'T BE CAPTAIN ANYMORE ONE FINE DAY, WASN'T ASKED TO RECONSIDER T20 CAPTAINCY CALL

"Whatever was said about the communication that happened during the decision that was made was inaccurate. I was contacted one and a half hours before the selection meeting on the 8th for the Test series. And there was no prior communication with me at all since I announced the T20 captaincy decision up till the 8th. The chief selector discussed with me the Test team to which we both agreed, and before ending the call, I was told that the five selectors have decided that I will not be the ODI captain. To which I replied, 'ok fine'. Later in selection call afterwards, we chatted about it briefly and that's what happened. There was no communication prior to that at all," revealed Kohli.

He added: "When I told BCCI that I want to give up T20I captaincy, it was accepted really well. There was no hesitancy. I was told that it was a progressive step. I informed at that time that I would like to lead in ODIs and Tests. The communication from my side was clear but I had also informed that if the office bearers and selectors don't think I should lead in other formats then that is fine."

Kohli when talking about why he was removed as ODI captain said: "Obviously, we have not won ICC tournaments. I can understand the reasons. There was no debate as to whether the decision was right or wrong. Whatever decision the BCCI made was taken from a logical point of view, which is totally understandable."

The only positive outcome of this presser was the quashing of the rumours. Now, the team can focus on the first Test, beginning in Centurion on December 26.