IND vs SA | Virat Kohli might have resigned from Test captaincy to avoid getting sacked again, feels Sunil Gavaskar
Virat Kohli has stepped down from India's Test captaincy on Saturday
|Sunil Gavaskar feels that Virat Kohli might have resigned from the red-ball captaincy to avoid getting sacked again after experiencing a series defeat against South Africa by 2-1. Gavaskar said that he is not surprised at the decision but he expected it to come at the presentation ceremony.
India recently lost a three match Test series against South Africa by 2-1. Virat Kohli has stepped down from Test captaincy ending up as India’s most successful Test captain. Kohli had already quit T20I captaincy after the T20 World Cup 2021. He was also sacked from the ODI captaincy for the South Africa series which caused uproar and controversy.
Now, he has quit from Test captaincy at the end of the series where India was considered favorites. Ahead of the series, India were considered to be the better team and were expected to clinch the series win. They won the series opener in Centurion but South Africa bounced back and won the remaining two fixtures. Former India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has opined that Kohli may have quit to avoid getting sacked again after an unexpected defeat in the South Africa series.
"As a captain, I have experienced that series defeats overseas are not taken too kindly by the board and the cricket loving public or board officials. The captain is in danger of being sacked. That has happened in the past and I'm pretty certain that this could have happened this time around because this was a series that India was expected to win and win easily," Gavaskar said to India Today.
Gavaskar also questioned Kohli’s timing of announcement saying that there should have been a gap between the conclusion of the series and announcement of the decision.
"I'm not surprised at all. I thought that it might have come at the presentation ceremony, but that would have looked like it has come out of a sense of anger having lost the series. So, I think a little bit of gap and the decision has come," he explained.
With the defeat, MS Dhoni remains the only captain to draw a Test series in South Africa. The result now means that India’s wait for a maiden Test series win in South Africa continues.
"There is every possibility of that, looking at what had transpired earlier on. Looking at the fact that he had been removed as ODI captain. Yes, having lost this series, that was always possible. If you don't win, what happens? Doesn't matter if he's been individually successful, in a team sport, the captain is the one where the buck stops." he concluded.
