Virat Kohli Fought With The Selectors For Shikhar Dhawan's Place In India vs England ODI Series- Reports

Indian skipper Virat Kohli reportedly argued with the selectors in order to include Shikhar Dhawan for the ODI series against England earlier this year. The left-handed Dhawan was out of favor with the national selectors. However, Kohli asserted that Dhawan’s place in the side is a ‘must’.

Kohli stepped down from his captaincy duties in the T20I format on September 16. He stated workload management as the primary reason behind the big decision. However, certain sources believe that the Indian captain had a poor relationship with the management.

“Much of it could be put down to what transpired during India’s home series against England. Dhawan wasn’t considered by the newly-appointed (at that time) selection committee even in his best format, the ODIs. They were looking at grooming potential prospects for the future,” the report stated.

“One of their main choices was an opener who had performed well in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Although the player’s name isn’t revealed according to the reports, it’s assumed to be either Prithvi Shaw or Devdutt Padikkal. However, 32-year-old Kohli insisted on having Dhawan as the partner of Rohit Sharma at the top,” the report further stated.

“The debate got heated during the March meetings. The squad was already picked but the BCCI waited for five days to make the announcement since a general consensus hadn’t been reached. Sources in the know believe that this is just a one-off occurrence and that the management and Kohli stand on good terms,” the report further stated.

Rohit Sharma likely to take over from Virat Kohli as T20I captain

Reports from PTI have hinted at the fact that experienced campaigner Rohit Sharma will don the captaincy role after the T20 World Cup. Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah, and KL Rahul are being considered for the vice-captain role.

Since Rohit is at the fag end of his career, the aforementioned trio is expected to be groomed before taking over the reins. For the time being, the BCCI has no intentions of announcing the vice-captain. They are likely to wait until the ICC event is over.

Also Read – Virat Kohli Went To Selection Committee With A Proposal To Remove Rohit Sharma As Vice-Captain – Reports