The BCCI made the correct decision in replacing Virat Kohli as India's white-ball captain with Rohit Sharma.
Given Kohli's decision to stand down as T20 captain, it was only a matter of time until he had to relinquish his 50-over captaincy since the BCCI made it clear that there would be no divided captaincy in the white-ball format. Rahul Dravid, the Indian team's new coach, was also on the same page.
And now that the decision has been made and the BCCI has carried out the replacement, various sections are pointing fingers at the BCCI for how it communicated the news to the media and the cricketing world - a single line stating that Sharma would now lead the ODI and T20 teams in the future.
"Which is fine. Rohit's time has come, and he must take fresh guard as leader of the pack. And Virat must accept it. But what's a matter of serious concern here is how the BCCI, especially (its president) Sourav Ganguly, has chosen to address this issue," say those following developments from close quarters.
After a long run of poor form, Ganguly – then Team India captain – was axed from the side precisely 16 years and three months ago. Ganguly's poor record, combined with former coach Greg Chappell's critical email about how he "wasn't fit to lead the team" and how his actions were "damaging the Indian team," led to his removal, with Rahul Dravid assuming command.
During Ganguly's days of struggle and solitude, the BCCI was there for him. Then-Board president Ranbir Singh Mahendra spoke to the media in support of Ganguly, requesting that the coach and the cricketer work out a mutually beneficial and professional relationship. Ganguly returned to the Indian squad ten months later, with ample support from concerned sectors.
More than his poor play, Kohli's internal struggles will be the embarrassment of being dismissed from captaincy by an email. For the record, the BCCI and Kohli had no discussions before the captaincy move was announced by email on Wednesday evening. Chappell's lengthy email to the then-BCCI president, in which he criticized Ganguly's captaincy and general on- and off-field behaviour as an Indian cricketer, is well known.
"And right now, Kohli needs the BCCI. To overcome that embarrassment, to overcome the anger and frustration he might be going through. Is Ganguly-the-BCCI-president going to stand by his cricketer the way the BCCI stood for him all those years ago?" say those watching this space closely.
"Other office-bearers of the BCCI, including secretary Jay Shah, maybe acquiring administrative experience. But Ganguly – by virtue of having been the India captain and a 116-Test veteran – has serious cricketing experience. Will he put that to use and help Kohli find his feet again?" the fraternity says.
Kohli, who has played three Tests and 254 one-dayers as well as 95 T20 Internationals, is without a doubt one of the best batsmen of his generation and one of the greatest batsmen of all time. The 33-year-old India batsman, compared to the legendary Sachin Tendulkar, needs an experienced hand to help him with his cause, and everybody observing this space asks, "Who better than Ganguly?"
