Time for the BCCI to ensure there’s no ill will between Virat Kohli, coach Gautam Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar

Three central characters figure in this potboiler: Kohli, chief selector Ajit Agarkar, and head coach Gautam Gambhir.

Over the years, Kohli has never missed a chance to target real and imagined detractors. He often places himself as a man fighting the world, which is against him, to stir himself to greater deeds — ‘chup kar diya na sabko’ is the reflexive reaction from his allies.

Those were the very words Ravi Shastri told this newspaper when Kohli smashed a brilliant 82 against Pakistan in the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia.

That knock had come after he stepped down as skipper of the T20 team, and subsequently lost his ODI captaincy, and then relinquished the Test captaincy during the time when Sourav Ganguly was BCCI president. Now, in Ranchi, he has pulled off yet another Kohli special to throw the ball back into BCCI’s court.

What was asked of him? Play domestic cricket since the gaps between ODIs series could be considerable. It doesn’t seem much of an ask. But Kohli doesn’t possibly see it in isolation as a move that can aid him, but has seemingly joined the dots, real and imaginary, as a bid to push him into a corner.

His list of grievances keep growing: the way the ODI captaincy was taken away after he let go of the T20 role, the manner in which he stepped down from Test captaincy, and later from Test cricket itself. It was coach Anil Kumble at one point, BCCI president Ganguly then, and these days, it’s Agarkar and Gambhir.

According to Kohli’s point of view, Kumble was overbearing, Ganguly was being disingenuous — Ganguly had claimed he had requested Kohli not to quit T20 captaincy; Kohli said he was never asked.

Doing his job

Agarkar finds himself in the hot seat now. India were being whitewashed at home even in the presence of Rohit and Kohli; and embarrassed outside, like they were in Australia. The hold at home was getting shaky even before last year’s New Zealand series. Rohit’s batting woes in Tests had escalated so much that he dropped himself from the Sydney Test in January. Kohli’s failings in Tests have been going on for a long while; be it against spin on turn-friendly conditions or against pace, outside the off-stump, without a cure at sight.

In T20 cricket, with the conclusion of a triumphant World Cup campaign, it was only reasonable that India had to move on to the next generation. In Tests, too, with results not coming, Indian cricket had to respectfully move past the stars. With Rohit not budging, the Agarkar-led panel had to nudge him out before the tour of England. And Kohli too stepped down from Tests.

India men’s cricket team head coach Gautam Gambhir, left, and chief selector Ajit Agarkar address a press conference. (PHOTO: AP)

Agarkar had the hardest job in the star-struck Indian cricket culture. He doesn’t have to be celebrated, but shouldn’t be damned for paving the way towards the future. It’s difficult to see anyone handling that messy period any better, and it’s harder to find anyone willing to take the tough decisions in the first place. But Agarkar saw through it to the bitter end.

The timing to relieve Rohit of the ODI captaincy could have been better. It perhaps came a touch too soon, not long after Rohit’s T20 retirement and Test ejection. Was Shubman Gill ready at that stage? Gill could perhaps have benefited from learning from the great ODI captain, who too would have felt respected and welcomed in the team. No egos would have been hurt with a slightly longer time frame of handing over the baton of ODI leadership. It could have been a win-win situation.

This diktat of playing domestic cricket isn’t, in isolation, an unwise move. Should it be compulsory or should it be only enforced if form deserts, is the question.

But the decision to play the Vijay Hazare Trophy to maintain form isn’t a vile move. It might not be needed in the here and now, but considering the World Cup is two years away, it remains a wise decision.

Gambhir might well wish he hadn’t taken decisions on instinct, be it the Kolkata pitch or the furious juggling of the playing XI during the South Africa series. The embarrassing 0-2 loss has weakened his hand so much that performances by the senior stars in ODIs now are seen as his comeuppance. Their Test failures are being forgotten.

Often, nuance can be lost in Indian cricket. Be that as it may, some of Gambhir’s tactical and final XI decisions in red-ball cricket have foiled the good work done on the England tour by a young team.

The blame might be on both, but on-field success influences public perception. Kohli is the star, he has just hit a statement-making ton, and made his points in the immediate afterglow. Gambhir is seen as someone, in public perception, with a history of not seeing eye to eye not just with Kohli but with MS Dhoni as well; and is seen as a stubborn figure.

If Kohli likes to paint himself in a corner against the world, Gambhir revels in saying he doesn’t care about what the world thinks of him. Like Kohli, his calling card too, in his mind, will unsurprisingly be honesty.

In all the abounding ‘honesty’ and bruised egos, Indian cricket is the victim. Even if the BCCI does a volte face and says selection won’t be tied rigidly to playing domestic cricket, what’s the takeaway here? Kohli wins, Agarkar/Gambhir lose? And if there is no thaw, what’s the way ahead? Will Kohli walk away?

It’s a mess. Either way, the effect on the dressing room cannot be anything but bad. This can’t be an ideal atmosphere for younger players to grow. When individualism gains centre stage, team vision and spirit take a hit. The top officials and influential voices must intervene to stop the situation from getting out of hand.