'They thought this is the right time to clip Virat's wings': Ex-India pacer holds BCCI responsible for Kohli's sacking
Although Virat Kohli informed that the selectors informed him about the decision to remove him as India's ODI captain, a former India fast feels otherwise.
The fire that has been ignited because of the Virat Kohli captaincy row is not showing any signs of extinguishing. It has been a week since Kohli spoke to the media for the first time since being removed as India’s ODI captaincy, while addressing several other topics, but reactions continue pour in as result of the aftermath of the highly explosive press conference.
Although Kohli informed that the selectors informed him about the decision to remove him as India's ODI captain, former India fast bowler Atul Wassan feels otherwise. The 53-year-old reckons that the selectors could not have taken a big call such as the one related to captaincy and is confident that somewhere it was the BCCI who took the decision.
"I think Virat wanted to carry on till the 2023 World Cup, and they have done well in one-day cricket. We have not won any big trophy but generally we have done well. He is the premium one-day batter in the world. It could have been handled better and there was no need to jump to an immediate reaction," Wassan said on CNN News18.
"Unless the board wants to send out a signal, that 'Virat… ok, enough is enough. You are not doing well and we haven't won much, so this is a penalty’. That's what happened. It is not the selectors' call; it is the board's decision."
Upon being asked what could be the reason behind the decision, Wassan pointed out that singling out one reason would not be enough to trigger a call as big and crucial as this. The former quick addressed the issue, saying that it was a culmination of several factors that led to the board removing Kohli as captain, some of which includes his own form, the inability to win ICC tournaments and even Rahul Dravid becoming the new head coach.
"It's a culmination of many things, and the biggest factor is Virat's form. That has contributed. If Virat was doing well and even if India did not win, nobody would have touched him, and also Ravi Shastri's moving out. They worked really well. With Ravi Shastri going out and a new style of thinking coming in… Rahul Dravid is a no-nonsense guy. He would call it right away. And probably that rankling of what happened with Anil Kumble as well," Wassan said.
"All these things got piled up to point where people said, ‘alright, let us look forward’. Virat would feel that he has been hard done by. A collective thought must have circulated among the top brass. They must have thought that this is the right time to clip Kohli's wings so that he isn't allowed to what he likes, and especially with Ravi no longer being there."
