Former Pakistan skipper makes bold statement regarding Virat Kohli leaving captaincy

Team India suffered yet another setback in a major world competition when it lost badly in the World Test Championship final earlier this month. India failed to win the tournament’s championship in their second consecutive final appearance, falling to Australia at The Oval by a score of 209 runs as Rohit Sharma served as their captain. A team captained by Virat Kohli had to contend with an 8-wicket loss to New Zealand during the match’s title contest in 2021.

In January 2022, Rohit took over as Test captain after Kohli opted to resign. This decision came after a highly contentious few months in which Kohli resigned as T20 captain and was later relieved of his duties as ODI captain. In a contentious news event in December 2021, Kohli accused the Indian Cricket Board’s senior management of failing to communicate, possibly alluding to a ruptured friendship with the board’s then-president Sourav Ganguly. 

“Didn’t he say in the press conference that there was no communication” : Salman Butt

Fans on social media recalled Kohli’s contentious resignation as Test captain, and Salman Butt, a former Pakistan captain, discussed it during one of his conversations live on YouTube. Butt said that Kohli was “systematically removed” from his leadership position rather than stepping down.

Salman Butt said that, “Kohli was a successful captain, and the way he was systematically being removed… he himself gave it away. I’ve read many comments claiming that Kohli stepped down from captaincy and wasn’t removed. Listen, brother… they (the board) created the build-up. Didn’t he say in the press conference that there was no communication with me? You can watch the PC if you like.” 

Butt then spoke about the kind of captain and leader Kohli was and gives his take on his dismissal or removal from the captaincy of Team India. He said, “It comes down to these things when the player knows it was done deliberately. The professional he is, and the captain that he was, I still don’t think he should’ve been removed.”