Unceremonious exit | Reluctance to relinquish ODI captaincy leads to Virat Kohli's sacking

Virat Kohli.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on December 8 named Rohit Sharma as the captain of the ODI and T20I teams, with the opener replacing Virat Kohli in the role ahead of the upcoming tour to South Africa.

While India's poor performance against Pakistan and New Zealand in the group stage of T20 World Cup 2021 has led to Kolhi's exit, according to reports, BCCI gave a 48-hour ultimatum to the decorated skipper, to which he did not respond, and was eventually removed from the post.

Following the team's return to India, the selectors were looking for a replacement for Kohli to lead the squad. So, prior to the announcement of the ODI squad for the South Africa tour, the BCCI asked Kohli to voluntarily step down from ODI leadership within 48 hours.

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However, Kohli reportedly misjudged the ultimatum given his status in Indian cricket and was under the impression that the BCCI wouldn’t dare to sack him. But on the 49th hour, he lost the ODI captaincy to Sharma.

Earlier in September, Kohli announced that he was stepping down as India's T20I captain after the T20 World Cup 2021.

The BCCI now elevated Sharma as India's ODI and T20 captain, ending Kohli's five-year-long white-ball reign. Apart from this, Sharma was also appointed as Test vice-captain.

India will play three Test matches and three ODI matches as part of the upcoming tour to South Africa. While Kohli will lead the Test squad, Sharma will lead the ODI squad. The tour will begin with the opening Test in Centurion on December 26.

Kohli’s sacking was not even addressed by the statement issued by the BCCI. Interestingly, BCCI didn’t thank Kohli for his services in the last few years or mention his name once in the press release.

“The All-India Senior Selection Committee also decided to name Mr Rohit Sharma as the Captain of the ODI & T20I teams going forward,” read the BCCI release.

Following the sacking of Kohli as captain of India’s ODI and T20, Kohli fans took jibes at BCCI president Sourav Ganguly for not mentioning his accomplishments or acknowledging his achievements as captain. It may be noted that prior to Kohli, Sourav Ganguly was also sacked as ODI captain, while Mahendra Singh Dhoni left the post willingly.