Virat Kohli Asked Selectors to Remove Rohit Sharma as Vice-Captain: Reports
India will be going to the men's T20 World Cup with Virat Kohli as captain and Rohit Sharma as his deputy.
advertisement
Since Thursday evening there have been plenty of theories about why Virat Kohli has decided to step down from his post as T20 captain of India after the upcoming World Cup. While some talk about unhappiness within the dressing room, some point to his form.
As far as Kohli is concerned, workload management and the better health of the team is what has led him to this decision.
As per a report in PTI, Kohli had recently gone to the selection committee with a proposal to remove Rohit Sharma as the vice-captain of the ODI team as he is 34. Kohli, himself 32, argued that KL Rahul should be looked at for that position keeping in mind the long-term prospect and have Delhi Capitals’ skipper Rishabh Pant as his deputy in T20.
While the report does not name anyone specific it quotes a board official saying, “This didn’t go down well with the Board which believes that Kohli doesn’t want an actual successor".
The report does not further elaborate on the claim.
However, when Kohli made his announcement on Thursday, he named Rohit Sharma along with Ravi Shastri as persons whom he had discussed his decision with.
Speculations of a rift between Kohli and Rohit Sharma have been floating around for a while even though the team management always insisted that both the superstars are on the same page.
Moreover, Kohli has acknowledged Rohit as part of the leadership group as well in his note on captaincy yesterday, yet that has not convinced many regarding the power struggle in the Indian cricket setup.
The Indian cricket team will be led by Kohli at the T20 World Cup in UAE and Oman in October-November with MS Dhoni joining the side as a mentor.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)