“We always wanted Virat to lead, but…” – Sourav Ganguly Finally Breaks Silence on the 2022 Virat Kohli Captaincy Controversy
orangeevaSourav Ganguly was the BCCI President when Virat Kohli resigned as India’s Test captain in January 2022. The former India skipper, Ganguly, has now revealed that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had wanted Kohli to continue as Test captain in 2022, but Kohli chose to step down. At that time, Kohli was leading India across all three formats before Rohit Sharma took over.
Kohli had earlier relinquished the T20I captaincy following India’s early exit from the ICC T20 World Cup 2021. Afterward, the BCCI appointed Rohit Sharma as the new T20I captain. Soon after, Kohli was also removed from the ODI captaincy, with the board opting to have a single captain for both white-ball formats.
Before the South Africa tour in late 2021, Kohli publicly voiced his dissatisfaction during a press conference, stating that he was informed about his removal as ODI captain just an hour and a half before the team’s departure for the Test series. Following India’s 2-1 Test series loss to South Africa, Kohli also decided to step down as Test captain.
Sourav Ganguly Reveals BCCI Wanted Virat Kohli to Continue as Test Captain
Former BCCI president Sourav Ganguly has revealed that the Indian cricket board wanted Virat Kohli to continue leading the Test team, but it was Kohli who decided to step down. Speaking to PTI, Ganguly addressed the controversy that had drawn criticism from Kohli fans during that time.
“It was only natural to have one captain for white-ball cricket—ODIs and T20s. We always wanted Virat to continue as the Test captain, but he chose to step away. Rohit was already leading Mumbai Indians and captaining in the shorter formats. We needed a Test skipper after Virat, who led the side until the South Africa tour,” Ganguly explained.
He also revealed that Rohit Sharma was initially hesitant to take on the Test captaincy because of the workload.
“I always believed Rohit was an excellent captain. The board reached out to him with a request, but he was reluctant due to the pressure and workload. I remember telling him, ‘You wouldn’t want to end your career without leading India in Tests.’ He’s a flexible and approachable person. If you talk to him, he listens. And honestly, who wouldn’t want to be India’s Test captain?” Ganguly added.
Ganguly also shared that all discussions with Rohit happened face-to-face, emphasizing his active role as BCCI president. “I was very hands-on—meeting and talking to players regularly,” he said.
Ultimately, Rohit Sharma went on to lead India in all three formats. Under his leadership, the team clinched the ICC T20 World Cup in 2024 and the ICC Champions Trophy in 2025. India also reached the finals of both the ICC World Test Championship 2021–23 and the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.
Last month, both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli announced their retirement from Test cricket. Shubman Gill has since been appointed as the new captain of India’s Test team.
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