Everyone in BCCI asked Kohli to stay on as T20I captain: Chief selector Chetan Sharma

New Delhi, Dec 31: Chairman of selectors Chetan Sharma has contradicted India Test captain Virat Kohli's statement regarding his sacking as the ODI captain saying the legendary batter was asked not to step down as the T20I captain.

Days after Kohli quit the T20I captaincy, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly had claimed said that the board had asked the batting maestro to reconsider his decision. The office bearers wanted Kohli to relinquish T20I captaincy after the T20 World Cup 2021 was over.

Sharma was addressing media persons on Friday (December 31) while announcing India's ODI squad for South Africa added that the decision to appoint Rohit Sharma as the captain in white-ball format was taken unanimously for that was for the good.

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"Nobody told Virat to quit T20 captaincy. But once he did, the selectors thought it's easier to have one captain for limited-overs. The decision to appoint Rohit as 50 over captain was made by selectors. After meeting, I called Virat and informed him about our decision," Sharma claimed.

Kohli had contradicted Ganguly's statement during his explosive press conference prior to leaving for the Test series against South Africa, saying he had no such communication with the Board's president and that he was informed about his removal as ODI skipper one-and-a-half-hour before the selection meeting for the SA series.

Sharma on Friday said, "Everyone from selectors to (BCCI) office-bearers, convenor of selection meeting and all present told Kohli to wait on T20 captaincy till World Cup got over." "Everyone told him to reconsider and rethink," he added.

Kohli's comments had exposed the simmering tension between him and the BCCI officials. A section believes that the Delhi cricketer was sacked as the ODI captain after his falling out with the top board officials.

However, the board after appointing Rohit Sharma as Kohli's successor in the white-ball format maintained that it felt better to have one captain in the limited-overs.

Earlier on Friday, the selectors also announced the 18-men India squad for the upcoming ODI series in South Africa and named stylish top-order batsman KL Rahul as the captain of the side in the absence of Rohit. Rohit - who suffered an injury during the limited-overs series against New Zealand at home - hasn't yet recovered from it and missed the Test series against South Africa as well. The board has also named star India fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah as the vice-captain of the ODI team.