Reports: BCCI gave 48 hour ultimatum to Virat Kohli to step down as ODI captain

BCCI on Wednesday, December 8, named Rohit Sharma as India's captain for the ODIs. This comes after Rohit Sharma took over the reins of the T20I team after Virat Kohli stepped down from the post.

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If reports are to be believed, Kohli was keen on continuing the ODI captaincy but was forced by the BCCI to step down. The board gave a 48 hour ultimatum to Kohli to vacate the post but the skipper didn't step down after which BCCI sacked him and named Rohit as skipper.

There were reports that a few senior players were not happy with Virat Kohli's style of leadership. The differences were exaggerated when India lost the World Test Championship final to New Zealand. "The biggest problem with Virat has always been trust issues. He speaks about clear communication but where he had lost respect as a leader is lack of communication," a player, who had been a part of that Indian dressing room a couple of years back, was quoted by Indian Express.

Similar reports had emerged when Kohli announced the decision to step down as T20I skipper. However, BCCI President Sourav Ganguly had denied those reports saying it was Kohli's decision to step down as T20 captain and the board had no influence over the decision.

Meanwhile, Kohli finishes his ODI captaincy with 65 wins in 95 matches. Under his leadership, India managed to win bilateral series in SENA countries. He also led India to a Champions Trophy Final in 2017, and semifinals of the 50-over World Cup in 2019. There’s no doubt about his class as a captain of the team but his inability to win a single global event was a cause of concern.