‘His decision is a personal one, a great player’ – Sourav Ganguly praises Virat Kohli for changing the face of Indian cricket

Former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly said that Team India have taken giant strides over the years under the leadership of Virat Kohli. Indian cricket was in deep turmoil when Kohli took over from MS Dhoni in the purest format back in December 2014. The Jharkhand-born Dhoni retired from Test cricket following which the now 33-year-old took charge of the Test team.

Seven years since then, Kohli is India’s most successful Test captain after he toppled Dhoni’s tally during the 2019 tour of the West Indies. On Saturday, January 15, Kohli stepped down as India’s skipper in Test cricket. Ganguly, who’s the president of the BCCI, said that Kohli’s decision was personal and stated that the Indian board respected his decision with an open heart.

He took to Twitter and wrote, “Under Virat’s leadership Indian cricket has made rapid strides in all formats of the game ..his decision is a personal one and bcci respects it immensely .. he will be an important member to take this team to newer heights in the future. A great player. well done ..”

Sourav Ganguly’s tweet

Under Virats leadership Indian cricket has made rapid strides in all formats of the game ..his decision is a personal one and bcci respects it immensely ..he will be an important member to take this team to newer heights in the future.A great player.well done ..@BCCI @imVkohli

— Sourav Ganguly (@SGanguly99) January 15, 2022

Earlier, it was also learned that the BCCI didn’t pressurise Kohli into relinquishing Test captaincy. But as per reports, he was also expected to stay as the skipper for the next two to three years.

“Virat Kohli had no pressure from the BCCI or selectors to step down. It’s his decision and we respect that, but he could have carried on for another two to three years as captain,” Arun Dhumal was quoted as saying by News18.

After stepping down, Kohli thanked the BCCI for giving him the chance of captaining India at the highest level. He also lauded MS Dhoni for backing him and showing adequate faith in him.

“I want to thank the BCCI for giving me the opportunity to lead my country for such a long period of time and more importantly to all the teammates who bought into the vision I had for the team from day one and never gave up in any situation.”

Back in November, Kohli resigned as India’s T20I skipper after which he was removed as the national ODI skipper as well.