'Only he can reveal why he left the captaincy' - Sourav Ganguly drops bombshell on Virat Kohli's unforeseen resignation

Former Indian skipper and BCCI president Sourav Ganguly has made a startling revelation regarding Virat Kohli's departure from his captaincy duties following India's damaging defeat against Australia. Ganguly revealed that the board never wanted Kohli to step down from his leadership role in red-ball cricket as it was his personal decision.

Following India's abject failure in the World Test Championship Final against Australia, there have been calls of reinstating former skipper Virat Kohli as the captain of the Test side. Kohli, who was one of the most successful captains in the longest format of the game during his tenure, stepped down from his role controversially in 2022. 

However, former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly, who was the BCCI president at the time of Kohli's departure, revealed that the board had nothing to do with the decision. Ganguly revealed that they were not prepared for Kohli's resignation and had to appoint Rohit Sharma as the all-format skipper as he was the best choice at that moment.

"BCCI were not prepared for Virat Kohli leaving the Test captaincy. It was unexpected for us also after the South Africa tour. Only Virat Kohli can reveal why he left the captaincy. There is no point talking about this now because Virat Kohli left the Test captaincy. Selectors had to appoint an India captain. And Rohit was the best option at that time," Sourav Ganguly told Aaj Tak in an exclusive interview.

Virat Kohli's decision came after rumours of a rift between the player and the board

For the uninitiated, Virat Kohli announced his decision to vacate his captaincy role from the shortest format of the game ahead of the 2021 T20 World Cup. Following his decision, the batting maestro was then removed from his ODI captaincy duties, with rumours of a rift between the board and the former skipper.

News emerged that Kohli was informed about his sacking from the ODI role via a routine phone call which irked the Delhi-borne cricketer. Kohli responded by stepping down from his captaincy duties in the longest format of the game, following India's dramatic series defeat on the tour of South Africa in January 2022.