Sourav Ganguly, the BCCI president, did not see it coming. Neither did selection committee chairman Chetan Sharma. The team and coach Rahul Dravid had no inkling either. Just like that, India’s most successful Test captain took off his crown and walked away from his throne.
On the evening of January 14, after South Africa clinched the Test series 2-1 in Cape Town, Kohli told the boys that it was time for him to go.
He then told selector Abey Kuruvilla, who was on tour with the team. The former India pacer was stunned. The selectors wanted Kohli to continue, but he had made up his mind. Sharma was informed immediately. Kohli, meanwhile, called up Ganguly and BCCI secretary Jay Shah.
The loss to the Proteas had hurt a lot. After wins in Australia and England, this was the ‘final frontier’, and India were tipped to win. It would have been another notch on his bat.
In his seven years as skipper, Kohli’s men had dominated at home and were competitive everywhere else. Kohli won 40 of 68 games as captain, had taken India to the top of the International Cricket Council rankings and had marched into the inaugural World Test Championship final.
Sure, a win in South Africa would have been great, but that is not the reason for the resignation. The seeds of discontent had been sown earlier. It had reached a point where Kohli was not enjoying being captain, or even his batting.
Reportedly, in the conversation he had with Ganguly after the third Test in Cape Town, Kohli said he was not waking up fresh and happy. So, he wanted out. He told the selectors the same.
This story is from the January 30, 2022 edition of THE WEEK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the January 30, 2022 edition of THE WEEK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Trump And The Crisis Of Liberalism
Although Donald Trump's election to a non-consecutive second term to the US presidency is not unprecedented—Grover Cleveland had done it in 1893—it is nevertheless a watershed moment.
What Will It Take To Clean Up Delhi Air?
IT IS ASKED, year after year, why Delhi’s air remains unbreathable despite several interventions to reduce pollution.
Men eye the woman's purse
A couple of months ago, I chanced upon a young 20-something man at my gym walking out with a women’s sling bag.
When trees hold hands
A filmmaker explores the human-nature connect through the living root bridges
Ms Gee & Gen Z
The vibrant Anuja Chauhan and her daughter Nayantara on the generational gap in romance writing
Vikram Seth-a suitable man
Our golden boy of literature was the star attraction at the recent Shillong Literary Festival in mysterious Meghalaya.
Superman bites the dust
When my granddaughter Kim was about three, I often took her to play in a nearby park.
OLD MAN AND THE SEA
Meet G. Govinda Menon, the 102-year-old engineer who had a key role in surveying the Vizhinjam coast in the 1940s, assessing its potential for an international port
Managing volatility: smarter equity choices in uncertain markets
THE INDIAN STOCK MARKET has delivered a strong 11 per cent CAGR over the past decade, with positive returns for eight straight years.
Investing in actively managed low-volatility portfolios keeps risks at bay
AFTER A ROARING bull market over the past year, equity markets in the recent months have gone into a correction mode as FIIs go on a selling spree. Volatility has risen and investment returns are hurt.
