'Don’t Think He Should’ve Been Removed': Salman Butt Insists BCCI Orchestrated Kohli's Removal As Captain

The resignation of Virat Kohli as captain of the Test team has stirred significant controversy in Indian cricket. Throughout his captaincy tenure, India had maintained an impeccable record, not losing a single Test series at home, while also exhibiting remarkable performances in overseas conditions.

Ganguly shock comments on Kohli stepping down

Nearly 17 months later, the former president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Sourav Ganguly, spoke openly about Kohli's resignation, expressing his curiosity regarding the reasons that prompted the acclaimed cricketer to step down from such a prominent position.

“No. Not after the South Africa series. I don’t know (why he did so), only he can tell. After Virat left, Rohit Sharma was the best option available at that time,” Ganguly told Aaj Tak after the World Test Championship final.

Salman Butt insists Board orchestrated Kohli's removal

Although Virat Kohli has yet to respond to Sourav Ganguly's remarks, Salman Butt has stepped forward to defend the former Indian captain. During a discussion on his YouTube channel, Butt asserted that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) deliberately orchestrated a series of events to exert pressure on Kohli, ultimately leading to his resignation as the Test captain.

“Kohli was a successful captain, and the way he was being removed step by step… he himself gave it away. I’ve read many comments claiming that Kohli himself stepped down from captaincy and wasn’t removed. Listen, brother… they (the board) created the build-up. Didn’t he say in the press conference that there was no communication with me? You can watch the PC if you haven’t,” the former Pakistan skipper said on his Youtube channel.

“It comes down to these things when the player knows it was done deliberately. The professional he is, and the captain that he was, I still don’t think he should’ve been removed."

Concluding his tenure with an impressive record of 40 victories out of 68 matches, Virat Kohli stands as the most accomplished Test captain in Indian cricket history. However, he has since passed the captaincy torch to Rohit Sharma, who now leads the Test, ODI, and T20I teams. Rohit has taken on the responsibility of guiding both the Test and ODI sides, while Hardik Pandya has assumed leadership duties for the T20I team.