Virat Kohli’s press conference before leaving for the South Africa tour has sparked one of the major controversies in Indian cricket. His statement contradicted what BCCI President Sourav Ganguly spoke on his sacking as the ODI captain. However, the board is yet to react to Kohli’s claims of ‘no prior communication’.
This isn’t the first time when the fans and experts are speculating something big going behind the curtains. The history of Indian cricket is full of examples when players and officials weren’t on the same page.
As the Kohli-Ganguly saga has taken over the news arena completely, let’s recall some of the past instances when dressing room controversies became the talk of the town:
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Rift between Sourav Ganguly, Greg Chappell: Team India ushered to a new era under Sourav Ganguly’s captaincy. He took the team to newer heights and also groomed some talented youngsters, turning them into match winners. But soon he was sidelined following Australia’s Greg Chappell’s entry as head coach in 2005. His appointment led to a fragile environment in the dressing room that also witnessed Ganguly getting dropped and Rahul Dravid getting the responsibility. The instability largely reflected upon the team’s performance in the 2007 World Cup when the Men in Blue were knocked out in the group stages.
When Kohli had ‘reservations’ with Anil Kumble: Back in 2016, Anil Kumble joined the Indian team as head coach after Zimbabwe’s Duncan Fletcher completed his tenure. The next year, Dhoni stepped down as the limited-overs captain, handing the responsibilities to Kohli. But the new coach-captain pair didn’t last long as the veteran Indian spinner resigned from his post.
Several reports claimed that Kohli and some of the Indian players weren’t happy with Kumble’s way of coaching. In his resignation letter, the former coach mentioned that the then captain had ‘reservations’ with his style of dealing with the team
“I am honoured by the confidence reposed in me by the CAC, in asking me to continue as Head Coach. The credit for the achievements of the last one year goes to the Captain, the entire team, coaching and support staff. Post this intimation, I was informed for the first time yesterday by the BCCI that the Captain had reservations with my ‘style’ and about my continuing as the Head Coach. I was surprised since I had always respected the role boundaries between Captain and Coach. Though the BCCI attempted to resolve the misunderstandings between the Captain and me, it was apparent that the partnership was untenable, and I, therefore, believe it is best for me to move on,” Kumble had written.
The unproven tussle between Dhoni and Sehwag: Even in the biopic of MS Dhoni, which featured Late Sushant Singh Rajput as the lead, had a scene when the Indian media claimed a rift between the two players. If reports are to be believed, Dhoni wanted fitter players in the side and Sehwag wasn’t one of them.
Speaking with Cricbuzz last year, Shewag had said, “When MS Dhoni said in Australia that top three are slow fielders, we were never asked or consulted. We got to know from the media. He said at the press conference but not at the team meeting that we are slow fielders."
When Yuvraj’s Father accused Dhoni of ruining his son’s glorious career: Yograj Singh once alleged that MS Dhoni ruined Yuvraj Singh’s cricketing career. The cricketer-turned-actor accused the former India captain of being the reason behind the exit of many players. He even once said in an interview – “It’s destiny that Yuvraj was supposed to become the captain but Dhoni got the captaincy and well-built team.”
But neither Yuvraj nor Dhoni spoke about these allegations even once to the media. The duo still seem to be sharing a great bond in personal lives.
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Kohli-Rohit Rivalry – The hottest: This topic is most discussed, ever since these two players became the icons of Indian cricket. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are equally talented and lethal batters. Needless to say anything about their abilities to win games but there are tons of reports that have claimed an unhealthy relationship between them.
However, recently Kohli gave a fuming answer to address this issue. He gave the obvious answer – everything is fine!
“There is no rift between me and Rohit Sharma. I have clarified multiple times in the last two and a half years and now I am tired of clarifying things. I can guarantee you that my communication will never be to take my team down till I am playing cricket. It is my commitment towards Indian cricket,” said Kohli in a recent virtual press conference.
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