“It’s better if you step down from ODIs,” Sourav Ganguly on captaincy saga, claims he did not PRESSURIZE Virat Kohli

Sourav Ganguly claimed he advised Virat Kohli to step down as ODI captain after he resigned as T20I captain.

“It’s better if you step down from ODIs,” Sourav Ganguly on captaincy saga, claims he did not PRESSURIZE Virat Kohli

Many reports suggested that Virat Kohli and Sourav Ganguly did not have the best of relations (Image via ESPN)

The end of Virat Kohli’s captaincy tenure has been highly controversial. There were reports of him falling out with then BCCI President, Sourav Ganguly, and captain Rohit Sharma. There were reports of the dressing room having a really tense atmosphere and the rift hurting the team. That was until Kohli stepped down as T20I captain and then removed as ODI captain by the selectors. 

Ganguly, while hosting game show Dadagiri, informed his audience that he did not remove Kohli as captain, but advised him to step down instead. He claimed that it was better if India had one red-ball captain and a white-ball captain. 

YouTube video
I did not remove Virat from captaincy. I have confirmed this before. Kohli stepped down as T20I captain. After he made his decision, I told him, if you're not interested in leading the T20I team, it's better if you step down from ODIs as well. Let there be a white-ball captain and a red-ball captai.
Sourav Ganguly on Dadagiri

Kohli was removed as ODI captain in November 2021, just weeks before the squad for South Africa series was announced. He claimed that he did not resign and found out he was replaced by Sharma 90 minutes before they were announced. After this, he resigned as Test captain as well, making Sharma the all-format captain. 

Junaid Khan recounts how he dominated Virat Kohli

Junaid Khan is a fast bowler who used to play for Pakistan, last featuring in 2019. While appearing in the Nadir Ali Podcast, he spoke about Pakistan’s last tour of India, where they won the ODI series 2-1. Khan talked about how he dominated Kohli in the series, picking up his wicket in all three matches. 

Virat Kohli Junaid Khan
Virat Kohli averaged 0.33 against Junaid Khan in the 2012/13 ODI series (Image via ESPN)

In the three matches, the bowler bowled 21 balls to the Indian star, getting his wicket each time. He also gave only 1 run against Kohli, bowling 20 dots. He recounted how Kohli told him he wouldn’t get out to him again, but failed to do so. 

In the breakfast before the 3rd ODI, I told him I’ll get his wicket and Younis Khan also backed him. At the end, I got his wicket and Younis Sir took his catch. 
Junaid Khan on The Nadir Ali podcast

Khan has not featured for Pakistan since 2019. He was a part of the 2017 Champions Trophy winning squad, picking up 8 wickets with an average of 19.37. He was in the squad to participate in the 2019 World Cup, but was later dropped. Since then he has been active in the domestic circuit, playing for Balochistan. 

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