Virat Kohli REFUSED to Step Down as India ODI Captain?

Virat Kohli removed as ODI captain: The 8th December, 2021 evening clearly did not look peaceful for modern-day batting legend Virat Kohli as he was replaced by Rohit Sharma as the new ODI captain of the Indian team. Earlier, Virat announced a massive decision of stepping down as the T20I captain post the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 in the UAE and also stated that he wants to focus on his ODI and Test captaincy in the future. However, it seems that the matters with regards to the captaincy transition have not been as smooth as everyone would have liked.

Virat Kohli REFUSED to Step Down as India ODI Captain?

According to the recent report stated by the PTI, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) selection committee gave Virat Kohli a brief time period of 48 hours to voluntarily step down as ODI captain. However, after not getting a reply from the Test skipper, the selectors reportedly informed Kohli just a few hours before the official announcement regarding his sacking as ODI captain. Incidentally, the 33-year-old has a sensational winning percentage over 68 in the ODI format and more importantly, the manner in which he has been removed from the white ball captaincy is not at all looking appropriate by the BCCI.

“Time is running out, and BCCI can’t have two white ball captains,” a source stated.

“Hopefully, he doesn’t quit Test captaincy in a rush. The selectors are still backing him to do well as Test captain away from home,” the source added.

Rohit Sharma Appointed India Vice-Captain in Tests

After being named as the full-time ODI and T20I skipper, Rohit Sharma has also been announced as India’s vice-captain in Test cricket for the upcoming tour of South Africa as he replaced Ajinkya Rahane who has been poorly out of form. The BCCI on Wednesday announced an 18-member Test squad for the upcoming South Africa where India is scheduled to play 3 Tests and 3 ODIs starting with the first Test match from 26 December in Centurion.

India’s Test squad: Virat Kohli (Captain), Rohit Sharma (vice-captain), KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wk), Wriddhiman Saha (wk), R Ashwin, Jayant Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Mohd. Shami, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Shardul Thakur, Md. Siraj.

Standby Players: Navdeep Saini, Saurabh Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Arzan Nagwaswalla.

For more SA vs IND 2021 news, click here

For daily fantasy sports tips on your mobile phone, Fill out the form below