The unexpected decision of Virat Kohli stepping down as Test captain has sparked questions, with former captain Sourav Ganguly expressing uncertainty about the reasons behind this move. In a recent interview, Ganguly shared insights on the transition and the appointment of Rohit Sharma as the captain.
Ganguly remarked, “After the South Africa tour, it was unexpected even for us; only Kohli can tell why he stepped down as captain.” Despite the unexpected nature of the decision, Ganguly emphasized that dwelling on the matter might be futile since Kohli had already relinquished the captaincy.
The selectors, faced with the task of appointing a new captain, deemed Rohit Sharma as the best option at the time. Following MS Dhoni’s retirement from Tests in 2014, Kohli assumed the captaincy in the longer format. He later took over the limited-overs captaincy after Dhoni stepped down in 2017, leading in all three formats until the 2021 T20 World Cup.
Post the T20 World Cup in 2021, Rohit Sharma assumed the captaincy. However, a notable development occurred after the 2022 T20 World Cup, where Rohit refrained from playing international cricket in the T20 format. This prompted various players, including Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul, to take on the T20 captaincy role. Meanwhile, Rohit continued to lead in ODIs and Tests.
The Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) opted for a distinct approach for the upcoming South Africa tour, designating three different captains for each format. Suryakumar Yadav will take charge in T20Is, KL Rahul will lead in ODIs, and Rohit Sharma will captain the Test team.
The complexities surrounding the captaincy transitions and the BCCI’s approach after the 2022 T20 World Cup remain a subject of discussion and speculation within the cricketing community.
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