'Hope the focus would be back on work' - Pragyan Ojha reacts to Team India's captaincy controversy

The week gone by was all about controversies in Indian cricket and the hullabaloo isn’t likely to end anytime soon. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) took the cricket world by storm by naming Rohit Sharma as the new ODI captain on December 8. The veteran opener took over the reins from Virat Kohli, who had done a phenomenal job in the role.

Notably, Kohli had stepped down as India’s T20I captain post the T20 World Cup last month but stated that he would continue to lead the team in the other two versions. Owing to the same, Rohit’s appointment ignited a massive controversy. Contradicting statements from BCCI president Sourav Ganguly and Kohli added fueld to the fire.

Reacting to the entire saga, former Indian cricketer Pragyan Ojha said he hopes that Indian cricket would focus back on work. “Unnecessary! Hope the focus will be back on work. #IndianCricket,” Ojha wrote in Hindi on micro-blogging website Koo.

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अनावश्यक! आशा है कि फोकस वापस कर्म पर होगा। #IndianCricket

– Pragyan Ojha (@pragyanojha) 15 Dec 2021

Meanwhile, Ganguly had stated that he ‘requested’ Kohli to not quit T20I captaincy. However, Kohli denied his claims, saying he was informed only 90 minutes prior to the selection meeting last week.

I wasn’t asked to not quit T20I captaincy: Virat Kohli

“I was contacted one-and-a-half hours before selection for Tests. The chief selector discussed with me the Test squad. Before the call ended, I was told that the five selectors have decided that I won’t be ODI captain anymore. There was no prior communication about this,” said Kohli in a press conference.

“I gave the reasons why I wanted to quit T20 captaincy and my view point was received very nicely. There was no offence, no hesitation and not for once was I told that ‘you should not leave T20 captaincy’,” the 33-year-old added.

Coming to Ganguly’s statement, he had said: “Actually, the BCCI had requested Virat to not step down as the T20I skipper but obviously, he did not agree. And the selectors then did not feel it right to have two different captains for two white-ball formats,” Ganguly was quoted as saying by NDTV. Meanwhile, India’s upcoming assignment is the tour of South Africa, which comprises three Tests and as many ODIs, starting from December 26.