India v West Indies: Kohli says he doesn't have complete control of team selection

Ajit Vijaykumar 18:46 03/10/2018
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  • In fine form: Cristiano Ronaldo.

    Virat Kohli calls the shots in Indian cricket. Be it the composition of the team, training schedule on away tours and even the choice of coach, his word has become final.

    Or that’s what we all believed all this while. Following intense criticism over the selection of the Indian Test team for the first match against the West Indies which begins on Thursday, the India skipper distanced himself from selection matters.

    Perennial squad member Karun Nair was dropped despite not getting a single opportunity in the five-Test England series. Even though he was part of the squad, India went in with late replacement Hanuma Vihari in the final Test at The Oval, which the Indians lost to go down 4-1.

    Later, Nair revealed no member of the Indian team management told him why he remains out of the team playing XI despite being a regular member of the squad. However, chief selector MSK Prasad later stated fellow selector Devang Gandhi had spoken to Nair about the reasoning behind his exclusion in England.

    Then for the first Test against the Windies, the Indians decided to omit Vihari from the playing XI while giving teen opener Prithvi Shaw his Test debut. Vihari had scored a fighting fifty and picked up three wickets with his impressive off-spin at The Oval.

    Hanuma Vihari impressed in The Oval Test against England.

    Hanuma Vihari impressed in The Oval Test against England.

    Instead of explaining the reasoning behind such decision making, Kohli pointed to the selectors saying he doesn’t pick the players.

    “Selectors have already spoken about it (Nair’s omission) and it is not my place to say. There are selectors doing their job. You can conveniently merge everything and make it a circle where everyone is doing their job and not focusing on what people are saying on the outside,” Kohli said on Wednesday.

    “If a person has spoken about it already, it should not be brought in here again. The chief selector has already spoken to the player of what I know. I don’t think I need to comment on that. Selection is not my job. As a team, we are doing what we are supposed to. Everyone should be aware of their respective jobs.”

    The India skipper also stated all decisions are not taken from “one place”.

    “People should also realise that it is not a joint thing everywhere. That is the confusion right now where people are combining everything and thinking everything is happening from one place which is not true.”

    Kohli’s comments seem incongruous as not only does the India skipper wield a wide range of powers as far as the team is concerned, his adamance was the reason the BCCI had to show the door to former coach Anil Kumble after Kohli stated he didn’t want to work with the former leg-spinner. Apparently, big names like Sachin Tendulkar tried to broker peace between the two but Kohli had his way and India went for Ravi Shastri who had earlier established a great working relation with Kohli.

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