Sourav Ganguly drops fresh bombshell on Virat Kohli-Rohit Sharma captaincy saga, admits he forced....

Former Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Sourav Ganguly has opened up about the controversy surrounding Virat Kohli’s exit from India’s captaincy. Ganguly also revealed that Rohit Sharma was not eager to take up the leadership role, adding that he had to convince him to captain.

Virat Kohli stepped down as Team India’s T20I captain ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup in 2021. Following the event, the BCCI president, Sourav Ganguly, appointed Rohit Sharma as the ODI captain. Kohli also relinquished his role as the Test captain after India lost a Test series against South Africa in 2022.

We Always Wanted Virat Kohli to Be Captain - Sourav Ganguly

Sourav Ganguly said that the BCCI always wanted Virat Kohli to continue as captain in white-ball formats. Ganguly added that after Kohli’s decision to step down from T20I captaincy, Rohit Sharma was appointed to lead in both formats.

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"It's quite natural that you have a captain for the white ball. We always wanted Virat to be captain, but he did not want to continue, and that’s where it was. And then, obviously, Rohit came in," Ganguly said.

"He was captaining Mumbai Indians (MI). We needed a Test captain because Virat was the Test captain by then, and he finished in South Africa," he added.

Rohit Sharma's legacy wouldn't have been the same if Dada hadn't convinced him to lead in all three formats. Forever grateful to Sourav Ganguly. 🙌🏻

pic.twitter.com/ot7gv41avU

— Rohan💫 (@rohann__45) June 23, 2025

Always Believed That Rohit Sharma Was a Very Good Captain - Sourav Ganguly

Sourav Ganguly revealed that Rohit Sharma was initially hesitant to take on the Test captaincy due to workload concerns. Ganguly said that he convinced Rohit to lead India in Test cricket. The former cricketer added that Rohit agreed to the role after taking a few days to consider it.

"I always believed that Rohit was a very good captain. The request from the board went to him to captain in Test matches. He was initially reluctant because of the workload. But I remember having a conversation with him, saying, 'You don’t want to finish your career without captaining India in Test matches'," Ganguly said.

"He took a couple of days and then agreed. He’s a very adjustable and friendly person. If you have conversations with him, he’ll listen, accept, and do things. And honestly, why wouldn’t anyone want to be India’s Test captain?"

Also Read: Rohit Sharma hints at ODI retirement; international career over?

Rohit Sharma Guided India to Two ICC Titles as Captain

Rohit Sharma began his international cricket journey on June 23, 2007. He has become one of India’s most dependable players. Sharma has played 273 ODIs, scoring 11,168 runs at an average of 48.76, including 32 centuries and 58 fifties. He has also represented India in 67 Tests and 159 T20Is.

Rohit led India to the finals of the World Test Championship and the 2023 ODI World Cup but suffered defeats to Australia on both occasions.

However, the veteran cricketer ended India’s ICC trophy drought by guiding the team to victories in the 2024 T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA, followed by a triumph in the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy.

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