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Cricket Players'They didn't give Virat respect': Ex-Pakistan bowler feels BCCI was 'harsh' in removing 'superstar' Kohli as ODI captain
A former Pakistan bowler Kaneria has weighed in on the episode, claiming that the BCCI was wrong in its manner to remove Virat Kohli, and mentions that there should have been a smoother form of communication between the two parties.
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The decision to have Virat Kohli replaced as India's white-ball captain continue to have a ripple effect, with former cricketers giving their opinions on one of the biggest developments in Indian cricket in recent years. Perhaps after the Sourav Ganguly-Greg Chappell saga, and the fallout between Anil Kumble and Kohli in 2017, the removal of King Kohli as India's ODI captain has garnered most attention.
When Kohli announced that he would be stepping down as India's T20I captain after the T20 World Cup, he had clearly mentioned that he would focus on leading ODI and Test teams, probably with an eye on the 50-over World Cup scheduled to be held in India in 2023. But the BCCI seemed to have something else in their minds, and they pulled the plug on Kohli's near five-year-ling tenure as India's white-ball captain through a tweet.
Former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria has weighed in on the episode, claiming the BCCI was wrong in their manner to remove Kohli, and mentions that there should have been a smoother form of communication between the two parties. Paying tribute to Kohli's fine record in ODIs as captain, the former leg-spinner felt Kohli should have been shown more 'respect'.
"Did the BCCI do the right thing with Kohli? I don't think so. They did not give him respect. He has gotten India 65 wins as captain, the fourth highest by any India skipper. The thing is why didn't you inform someone whose record as captain isn't bad at all. Second most-highest runs as India ODI skipper. Based on his record, he deserved respect. Sure, he hasn't won an ICC trophy as captain but the way he has led is phenomenal," Kaneria said on his YouTube channel.
Calling Kohli a 'superstar' of world cricket, Kaneria dwelled further on the clarification. Although BCCI president Sourav Ganguly had said that Kohli was kept in the loop about the decision, the former spinner highlighted that the 33-year-old not scoring the way he used to could have been another factor that led to the change in guard.
"The only two superstars going around in world cricket at the moment are Virat Kohli and Babar Azam. You should respect you superstars. The BCCI were harsh in removing Kohli without informing him. Sourav Ganguly is such a big name, a former captain. He should have communicated to Virat that we would like for Rohit to captain. Another thing that went against him was that Kohli was not scoring runs as big and fluently as he used to," Kaneria pointed out.
