Kohli's Resignation

 

It has happened, the worst-feared catastrophe; Virat Kohli has announced his resignation as captain of our Test cricket team suddenly in the wake of losing the series against South Africa.  The news has hit the nation like a thunderbolt.  Newspapers are carrying analysis of this national tragedy in column after column by everyone connected with cricket. BCCI officials, sports correspondents, cricketers  past and present, his team mates, managers, coaches, support staff and cricket fans from across the country, advertisers et al, are dissecting this with reference to its timing like when BCCI President is recuperating from his recent illness, the oncoming series in SriLanka, and not the least elections in five States. Not to be left behind, TV channels are beaming the news in every edition besides conducting panel discussions on the impact of this Tsunami on the future of Indian cricket with particular reference to The World Cup, The ICC Cup etc.  The emotional tribute by his wife Anushka Sharma and other Hollywood persona is particularly heart rending.  Short of an official Gazette Notification from Government, every other form of communication like social, print and electronic media has come into play carrying  the poignancy created  by  this  news of the decade. Twitter is agog with this unexpected calamity wondering what would happen to the moneybag Corporates bidding for cricketers for IPL and sponsors like Byju.   

There is also the question regarding his successor as captain causing great anguish. Will  he  a batter like  Rohit Sharma or K.L.Rahul or, for a change, a wicket keeper captain like Rishabh Pant or a pace bowler captain  like Jasprit Bumrah.  Social commentator and columnist  like Santosh Desai in his weekly column in The Times of India has addressed this earth shaking news under the caption “A Resignation Foretold” and discussed the matter threadbare including   Kohli’s souring relationship with BCCI. He  asks “ Was it Kohli’s growing unpopularity with a vocal section because of his advocacy of a cracker-free Diwali and his standing up for Shami when he was being trolled communally ? ” He also says that BCCI has decided to do what politicians excel at – insert itself into a situation and mess it up thoroughly  without a plan and no clear successor in place .

In the Indian context the views and opinions of two other cricket aficionados, Ram Chandra Guha and Shashi Tharoor will be eagerly watched.