Sourav Ganguly Reveals BCCI's Unpreparedness for Virat Kohli's Test Captaincy Resignation

Former BCCI president Sourav Ganguly has expressed that the board was caught off guard by Virat Kohli's decision to step down as India's Test captain. Ganguly emphasized that it was Kohli's personal choice, and only the star batsman can disclose the reasons behind his departure from the captaincy in the longest format of the game.

Ganguly's comments come in response to fans urging the reinstatement of Kohli as India's Test captain following the team's 209-run defeat to Australia in the World Test Championship final. However, Kohli's batting performance in Test cricket has not been at its peak in the past three years.

"BCCI was not prepared for Virat Kohli's departure from the Test captaincy. It was unexpected for us as well, especially after the South Africa tour. Only Virat Kohli can shed light on why he decided to step down as captain. There's no point in discussing it now because Virat Kohli has already left the Test captaincy. The selectors had to appoint a new captain for India, and Rohit was the best choice at that time," Ganguly stated in an interview with Aaj Tak after the WTC final.

Kohli concluded his tenure as the fourth-most successful captain in Test cricket history, having achieved 40 victories and 11 draws in 68 matches as the Indian captain.

At present, the 34-year-old ranks just below Graeme Smith, Ricky Ponting, and Steve Waugh on the list of captains with the highest number of Test wins.