Indian superstar batter, Virat Kohli, has been removed from ODI captaincy despite his willingness to lead the team in the format. According to details, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) decided to replace Kohli with opening batter, Rohit Sharma as captain of the ODI side without informing Kohli of the decision beforehand. Kohli will still lead India’s Test side.
It is reported that BCCI waited for Kohli to step down as captain of the ODI side but Kohli expressed his desire to continue in the role and refused to step down from the captaincy. BCCI unilaterally decided to remove Kohli as captain as they wanted one captain for their limited-overs side. Rohit had already been appointed as India’s T20 captain after Kohli decided to step down.
Kohli’s tenure as captain of the Indian ODI side was not a successful one for the country as they failed to win any major ICC tournament under his leadership. Their record in bilateral series, on the other hand, was exceptional as they won 65 out of 95 ODIs under Kohli’s captaincy.
Kohli was appointed as India’s ODI captain in 2017 as he took over the reins from MS Dhoni. The Indian team was defeated in the final of the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy and was knocked out in the semi-final of the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup under Kohli’s captaincy. The Men in Blue also failed to impress in the 2021 T20 World Cup and were also defeated in the 2021 World Test Championship.
Rohit Sharma will be determined to change the fortunes of the Indian limited-overs sides using his vast experience as the captain of the Indian Premier League (IPL) side, Mumbai Indians. He has led Mumbai to 5 IPL titles ever since his appointment in 2013.
