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’It Is His right’: Jay Shah Throws His Weight Behind Virat Kohli’s Personal Leave Amid Ind vs Eng Test Series
BCCI secretary Jay Shah speaks about Virat Kohli’s absence from the Ind vs Eng Test Series
BCCI secretary Jay Shah, on Wednesday, commented on Virat Kohli’s absence from the ongoing Test series against England. Showing his support for the former Indian skipper, Shah said that it’s Kohli’s right to take the leave for personal reasons and there was no objection about it.
Jay Shah supports Virat Kohli
“If a person, for the first time in a 15-year career, asks for personal leave, it's his right. Virat is not a player who will ask for leave for no reason. We need to trust our player and back him,” Shah said while speaking to the reporters in Rajkot ahead of the third test between India and England.
Kohli, who had practiced with Team India at Hyderabad for a day, ahead of the first Test, bowed out of the game after citing personal reasons. Initially, Kohli was supposed to be out of the first two tests only. However, it was later revealed before the third Test that Kohli won’t be returning for the entire series.
"Virat Kohli will remain unavailable for selection for the remainder of the series due to personal reasons. The Board fully respects and supports Mr. Kohli's decision," BCCI revealed in a statement.
Shah was also asked about the availability of Kohli for the T20I World Cup, to which he replied, “We will talk about him (soon).” At the same time, he also confirmed that Rohit will continue to lead the Men in Blue for the tournament.
Rohit to lead Team India in the T20I World Cup 2024
In the ceremony conducted to rename Saurashtra Cricket Association stadium to Niranjan Shah stadium, Shah announced that India will be contesting and hopefully winning the T20I World Cup, to be organized in the Caribbean and the US, under the leadership of Rohit Sharma only. Hardik Pandya, on the other hand, will be taking over the responsibility of Rohit’s deputy.
Making the announcement, the BCCI secretary said, “At this point in time, Rohit is an all-format captain. It is a collective decision, and the selectors are fully aligned on the matter. Hardik Pandya will retain his position as vice-captain for the T20 World Cup. Consider if Hardik gets injured, as he did in the previous World Cup. In such a scenario, who should we entrust with the leadership responsibility.”
“If you recall the Afghanistan T20I match, we were in a tough spot at 27 for four, but Rohit's remarkable century turned the game around. We can't question his abilities. Although we won ten consecutive games in the World Cup, we fell short in the final. It's part and parcel of the game," he further added lauding Rohit.
Recalling India’s loss to Australia in the final of the 2024 ICC Cricket World Cup, Jay Shah affirmed that India will surely win the T20I World Cup this year. “I have not made any comments about the 2023 World Cup, in which we lost the final in Ahmedabad. However, I can assure you that India will clinch the T20 World Cup in Barbados on June 29 under Rohit Sharma's captaincy.”
The tournament which will go underway on June 2, 2024, will take place in the USA and Barbados this year. The final will be conducted on June 29, 2024 at the Barbados. Team India will be looking forward to ending their 11-year-long drought of ICC trophies by lifting the T20I Cup this year after they failed to do so during the ODI World Cup last year.
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