CVirat Kohli was doing a great job; it was unfortunate that he did not win an ICC title – Former Pakistan skipper
Salman Butt has now responded to the situation, saying the selectors did make some questionable decisions, such as removing Virat Kohli as the ODI captain while he also proceeded to say that Team India has not better much since Kohli was taken out.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) recently terminated the four-member selection committee, containing Chetan Sharma. The applications for new selectors have been welcomed by the cricket board and the deadline to submit applications has been given as November 28.
Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt has now responded to the situation, saying the selectors did make some questionable decisions, such as removing Virat Kohli as the ODI captain. He also proceeded to say that Team India has not been better much since Kohli was taken out.
“What was the reason for not having an out-and-out fast bowler for the T20 World Cup, when you are playing in Australia, where you have to play in Perth and Melbourne? Even when they sacked Kohli, they didn’t have a valid reason. They said that he did not win an ICC trophy. How many captains have won an ICC trophy? A lot of players finish their career despite not winning a trophy,”
Butt said in a video on his YouTube channel.
“So, did they win a trophy now? He was a quality captain. He wasn’t the only reason why they failed to win a trophy. The team hasn’t improved that much either since then,”
he added.
Further talking on the same issue, Butt said:
“If it was all about winning, and you needed a winning captain, it’s not like MS Dhoni couldn’t have played in T20Is. He is still fit. When he was there as a mentor during the T20 World Cup in UAE, only Kohli was as fit as him. Visibly, no one looked fitter than him.”
“I don’t know what was the planning behind it. T20 cricket is being played so frequently. There’s a World Cup every two years, and there are franchise leagues as well. When you have someone fit, performing and ready to go, and especially when they played can lead the team tactically, then why not (play him),”
he added.
Butt also went on to say that removing Kohli as the captain also played a role in mentally weighing him down.
“Virat Kohli was doing a great job, it was unfortunate that he did not win an ICC title. But the think-tank could have thought about what were the reasons for not winning? It was not like if you remove Virat Kohli, everything will be taken care of. The drastic change resulted in Virat Kohli’s poor form, I am sure he would have suffered mentally,”
said Butt.
“The rest of the guys have thought that if such a thing can happen to that person who has performed so what will happen to us. Then the rest of the guys also get insecure about their spot within the team,”
he added.