Seems like Virat Kohli’s latest press conference statement could ignite another tussle between him and the board, as a BCCI official member has lashed out at the former skipper for his latest comment saying that nobody other than MS Dhoni had reached out to him when he’d resigned as India’s Test captain.
On Sunday night, following India’s defeat to Pakistan in the game where he notched up a half-century to cement his return to form, Kohli was inquired about how he’d been supported during his tough phase earlier this year.
BCCI official disagrees with Virat Kohli’s comment
The 33-year-old revealed that after he’d stepped down as the Test captain in January, following the series loss in South Africa, only MS Dhoni had texted him offering his support and nobody else.
This has apparently not sat well with the board. The BCCI member expressed displeasure over Kohli’s remarks, saying that he had gotten full support and backing from the board during his difficult times.
“Virat has had backing of everyone. From his teammates to everyone at the BCCI. To say that he did not get the support, is not true. He was granted break to rejuvenate, he got frequent rest. Even everyone at BCCI wished him on social media when he stepped down from Test captaincy. So, I don’t know what he is talking about,” a senior BCCI official told InsideSport.
Could this spark up another fight between Virat Kohli and BCCI?
This could brew up to something similar scuffle from last year when Kohli had denied Sourav Ganguly’s claims that he’d requested him to not step down as the T20I skipper. Kohli said that nobody had asked him to not quit the T20I captaincy.
The BCCI official, though, hopes that this doesn’t turn into an ugly incident, pointing out that Kohli is getting back into form, so that’s some good news to take forward.
“There is no bad blood between Kohli and anyone in BCCI. Everyone respects him for his contributions to Indian cricket. He is a very important player across all three formats. He has hit form at the right time. We only wish he continues that run. It will be crucial for Team India in Australia,” the BCCI official added.
After taking a month-long break, Kohli has returned to form in the Asia Cup with scores of 35, 59*, and 60. However, India lost the match on Sunday against Pakistan. Next, they play Sri Lanka on Tuesday and Afghanistan on Thursday.
