Virat Kohli's sudden absence from the second Test against South Africa on Monday (January 3) has raised many eyebrows. With India's Test captain's ongoing alleged tussle with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), it looks like someone has opened a Pandora Box of Indian cricket. The series of events, which germinated from Virat's call to relinquish T20 captaincy post the recently concluded T20 World Cup. It went further to Virat's sacking from ODI captainship. It culminated to a point where the 33-year old had denied BCCI's statement that he was told to reconsider before stepping down from T20 captainship. And then came the chief of selectors, Chetan Sharma, who claimed and upheld BCCI's earlier statement in the whole captainship saga.
The entire development doesn't allude to something great happening in Indian cricket. In fact, it raises a gamut of questions that need to be answered sooner or later for the sake of dousing the issue.
These are the questions that are tickling everyone's head followed by the series of events:
No hint from coach Dravid in presser
In a pre-match press conference by the India head coach Rahul Dravid, there were no prior intimations about Virat's fitness or availability for the second Test match. Normally captains address the press on the eve of the Test matches but this time coach Rahul was seen in the presser where everyone was expecting Virat's appearance.
Asked why Kohli has not addressed the media so far in the tour, Dravid said, "There is no specific reason for that. I don't decide this but I am told he will be speaking on eve of his 100th Test. Then you can ask all the questions on his 100th Test."
Royal Challengers Bangalore's tweet features KL Rahul pic
Right before the match, the IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), which was earlier led by Virat Kohli, posted a tweet saying, " The focus shifts to the Wanderers as #TeamIndia have a chance to seal the series."
Did they already know that Virat Kohli is going to miss the second Test at Wanderers?
The reason for putting Rahul's photo in a tweet in place of Virat's also raises doubts.
Does Virat want to play his 100th Test in Bangalore?
We all know Virat's affinity towards the Bangalore-based IPL team Royal Challengers Bangalore, the franchise he has vowed to play for till the last. Bangalore has always showered all the love and support to its former IPL captain. And who would not want to reciprocate by giving it back to the fans?
Earlier, had Virat played the second Test against Proteas at Wanderers, he would have ended playing his remarkable 100th Test in Cape Town. But now since he has been ruled out of the second game due to spasm, he will technically play his 100th Test in Bangalore against Sri Lanka on February 25.
Virat-BCCI controversy the reason behind 2nd Test absence?
On Sunday (January 2), a day prior to the second Test, Virat posted some photos from the practice session on Twitter. He was looking absolutely fine till then. What might have happened to the senior batter in these 24 hours also alludes to something doubtful.
BCCI-Virat controversy shouldn't have helped Indian Test skipper to concentrate on the game rather have resulted in distraction. This also could be one of the speculative reasons behind Virat's missing out on the Wanderers' game. Who knows?
RCB planning to rope in KL Rahul?
KL Rahul, who led Punjab Kings in the past two seasons was surprisingly not retained by the franchise as they look to build a completely new squad ahead of the IPL 2022 season.
With the Karnatak opener deciding to go into the auction, KL Rahul will not be short of suitors considering the king of form he has been showing in the past couple of IPL seasons for Punjab Kings. And post Virat's decision to step down from RCB's captainship, Rahul could be a good pick for the Bangalore franchise which will not only strengthen the batting lineup but will also release the team from the potential headache of opting a new captain.
