'Threw him out like a fly!': BCCI questioned over Virat Kohli's 'exit'

As India wrapped up the ODI series against Australia with a consolatory yet dominant nine-wicket win, the focus once again returned to Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Both had endured quiet starts to the series but bounced back strongly, with Rohit scoring a fifty and a century (121), with Kohli finding his touch in the final match with a fluent 74, stitching together a match-winning stand with the former. While their performances drew wide praise on social media, on the latest episode of The Bombay Sport Exchange, K Shriniwas Rao, Head of Content – Sports, Times Internet and Shailendra Singh, Inceptor Percept and Sunburn delved into why the two stalwarts of Indian cricket cannot be viewed in the same way.

Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!The conversation touched on how Indian cricket and the BCCI handled Kohli’s transition from captaincy.“You appointed Ravi Shastri as the coach, you appointed Virat Kohli as the captain, you let them run the show — and then suddenly you throw Virat out like he’s a fly in a cup of tea.

Are you mad?” said Shailendra. “Virat Kohli is not just a cricketer. He’s an inspiration. Forget cricket — Virat Kohli spoke to the youth of the country, united them for causes.”He also expressed shock at how Indian cricket remained "silent" when it took place.“BCCI didn’t know how to use him properly. That’s half the problem,” responded Shriniwas Rao, pulling attention back to the way the duo have been looked at through the same lens.

“Rohit and Virat have been put in the same bracket. Everything that applies to Rohit will also apply to Virat, and everything that applies to Virat will also apply to Rohit — which is wrong,” said Shriniwas Rao. He explained his reasoning with a striking example, saying, “There was news that Rohit Sharma’s former cricketer-turned-fitness trainer gave a statement to the media, saying he’s lost 10,000 grams of weight.

What I find very wrong about a statement like that is — you’re not doing a favor. You are an India cricketer; you can’t afford to be overweight,” said Rao.

He went on to draw a sharp contrast with Kohli’s approach. “Virat has kind of put that right up there as a priority in his career. Fifteen years ago, he took that decision — that he’s going to change things for the better," he added. "Very well done, and at the right time. Fitness became paramount,” Shailendra chipped in.“When I’m discussing whether a cricketer can be fit enough to play in 2027 — to play the World Cup in 2027 — if fitness is the benchmark, I can’t look at both of them through the same lens. It’s unfair,” Rao said.