Unless there’s a last-minute change of mind, Virat Kohli will play the ODIs in South Africa and as of now there is no uncertainty over his participation in the three-match series next month, at least two senior BCCI officials have told The Telegraph.
The sources said that the Chetan Sharma-led selection committee will include India’s red ball captain when the squad is picked after the Vijay Hazare Trophy final on December 26.
Speculation over Kohli’s availability for the ODIs in South Africa sent the Indian cricket fraternity into a tizzy for most of Tuesday. The lack of proper communication from the BCCI, which maintained a stoic silence on the issue, triggered a lot of unwanted assumptions.
At least two top BCCI officials, who didn’t wish to go on record, informed The Telegraph that there hasn’t been any request from Kohli to excuse him from the ODIs.
“Kohli hasn’t sent any message to the BCCI saying he won’t be available. This is all rubbish. He is up for selection and unless he is a victim of bubble fatigue after the three Tests or any other unforeseen event crops up, he will play the ODIs,” a senior BCCI official said.
Coming as it did a day after Rohit Sharma pulled out of the Test series because of a hamstring injury, the guesswork on Kohli’s non-participation led to multiple conspiracy theories floating around. It merely stoked the fire that has been prevalent since Kohli was removed as ODI captain and Rohit put in charge of the limited overs side.
Kohli is expected to travel to South Africa with his family and the three ODIs are on January 19, 21 and 23. The first Test begins on December 26.
The third Test, which begins at Newlands, Cape Town, on January 11, will be Kohli’s 100th. The day will also be special for him since his daughter will turn one. Hence speculation of his taking a break to celebrate Vamika’s birthday doesn’t hold much ground.
“A simple media statement from the BCCI would have clarified it all. Why allow different silly theories to float around when it’s all a figment of imagination? It’s obvious that people with vested interest are trying to spoil the camaraderie within the team. The BCCI has to remain vigilant to keep such forces at bay,” said a former BCCI official.
A day after Rohit was put in charge of the limited overs teams, Board president Sourav Ganguly had made it clear that it was not possible to have two white ball captains. He even disclosed that he had personally requested Kohli to not give up the T20I captaincy in September.
A similar statement from the Board president would have stopped misgivings about Kohli’s keenness to play the ODIs in South Africa. But of late the BCCI has adopted an unwritten policy to not react to speculation or unverified reports to avoid confusion.
Former captain Mohammed Azharuddin too joined the bandwagon. The Hyderabad Cricket Association boss tweeted: “Virat Kohli has informed that he’s not available for the ODI series & Rohit Sharma is unavailable fr d upcoming test. There is no harm in takin a break but d timing has to be better. This just substantiates speculation abt d rift. Neither wil be giving up d other form of cricket.”
The BCCI has scheduled a media conference with Kohli on Wednesday afternoon on the eve of the team’s departure for Johannesburg. Expect Kohli to clear the air then.
