'Only Virat can reveal why…': Ganguly's blockbuster truth about Kohli controversy; 'It was unexpected for us also'

Sourav Ganguly had earlier claimed that the BCCI requested Virat Kohli to not relinquish the leadership role at Team India.

Former Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Sourav Ganguly has issued an eye-catching statement about Virat Kohli after Team India's heartbreaking loss to Australia in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final at The Oval on Sunday. Two of the finest leaders to serve Indian cricket, Kohli and Ganguly were believed to be at loggerheads during the latter's bitter-sweet stint as the president of the apex cricket board.

Sourav Ganguly had earlier claimed that the BCCI requested Virat Kohli to not relinquish the leadership role (Getty Images)

When Kohli had stepped down as the captain of the Indian side, Ganguly claimed that the BCCI had requested Virat to not relinquish the leadership role at Team India. However, Kohli had openly contradicted Ganguly's statement in a bombshell press conference in the lead-up to India's away Test series against South Africa. In their most recent public interaction, Ganguly and Kohli appeared to have buried the hatchet after the duo's ‘no-handshake’ incident became the talk of the town during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023.

'Only Kohli can reveal why he left the captaincy'

Speaking to Aaj Tak in the aftermath of the WTC final between India and Australia, Ganguly recalled his stint at the apex cricket board of India. The former India skipper revealed that the BCCI had reservations about Kohli relinquishing the Test captaincy. "BCCI was not prepared for Virat Kohli leaving the Test captaincy. It was unexpected for us also after the South Africa tour. Only Virat Kohli can reveal why he left the captaincy. There is no point talking about this now because Virat Kohli left the Test captaincy. Selectors had to appoint an India captain. And Rohit was the best option at that time," Ganguly said.

Addressing the media ahead of the South Africa Test series, Kohli admitted that he was informed that his captaincy stint has come to an end just one-and-a-half hours prior to the selection meeting for the South Africa tour. "There was no prior communication to me at all from when I announced the T20I captaincy decision until the eighth (of December) where, as I said, I got a call one-and-a-half hours before the selection meeting," Kohli had said.

Kohli's exceptional captaincy record

Kohli finished captaincy stint as India's most successful captain in the history of Test cricket. Under the leadership of Kohli, India made it to the final of the inaugural ICC World Test Championship in 2021. Kohli guided India to 40 wins as captain. He won 13 more Test matches as India's captain than legendary skipper MS Dhoni. The 34-year-old is only behind Graeme Smith, Ricky Ponting and Steve Waugh on the list of captains with the most Test wins. The Indian run-machine won 18 Test series as captain. Out of 25 Test series, India suffered defeats in six when Kohli was at the helm. The former India skipper is also the first Asian captain to win a Test series in Australia.