ODI skipper Virat Kohli has recently been ousted by the BCCI, with the star batsman announcing afterward that he is stepping down from Test leadership as well. He had already resigned as captain of the Twenty20 team.
It is Rashid Latif’s opinion that the churn of Indian cricket’s leadership does little harm to the country’s reputation because it has the skill and financial resources to endure the upheaval. Virat Kohli was recently relieved of his duties as ODI captain by the BCCI, and the star batsman then revealed his intention to step down as captain in Test matches as well. Already, he’d stepped down as T20 captain. In light of previous events and the resulting debate, an unflattering picture of Indian cricket was painted. In spite of this, Latif said that Indian cricket would not be affected. According to Latif on the ‘Cricket Baaz’ Youtube channel, “they have a strong base in the IPL and Indian cricket is now established as a financially extremely powerful brand,” Latif stated about recent changes or happenings in Indian cricket.
“Rohit Sharma’s ability to lead the club is critical right now, but he has his own style and has already accomplished a great deal with Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League.
“In terms of his desire to lead the team in Tests, it’s still up in the air. Kohli’s captaincy and team were energized and focused because of him.” Latif, on the other hand, was of the opinion that the BCCI made a mistake by ousting Kohli from his position as captain of the One-Day team.
“I believe that the wrong approach had been taken, and there was no turning back now. When a long-serving captain decides to step down or is ousted from his position, he will have had meetings with the board’s highest officials. I know this from personal experience.” “It wasn’t until I spoke with our board chairman that I decided to step down as captain in 2004. As a result, I believe the BCCI erred in its handling of this particular situation. It’s bad for Indian cricket to see this.” According to the former wicketkeeper-batsman, it’s never an easy task to replace a captain who has served as a figurehead for the team for so long.
“This creates tension in the locker room when a player has been captain for more than five years and is still revered by his teammates for his leadership. According to Latif, India’s setbacks in South Africa were caused by a lack of trust in the Indian team’s ability to perform. Both the Test and one-day series were lost by the side.
In no way am I implying that anyone willfully chose not to perform; every professional wants to do well, but when the environment in a team changes, it does have an effect on the players in many ways.”
