According to a recent report in the New Indian Express, both the senior batsmen were “pulled up by Kohli in the dressing room”. Pujara scored 8 off 54 balls in the first innings and managed only 15 runs off 80 balls in the second while Rahane fared better scoring 49 in the first and added 15 off 40 balls in the second.
After the match, Virat Kohli expressed dissatisfaction at the intent with which the two had batted.
“If you don’t put their bowlers under pressure then they have the fitness and the consistency to bowl long spells and keep bowling all day in the same areas and trouble you, and the more momentum you give them, then invariably they get the breakthroughs they want. The mindset has to be to score runs and find ways to score runs. You can’t be too worried about getting out because you are [then] bringing the bowler into the game completely,” Virat Kohli had said at the end of WTC final.
Now, it has been reported that Pujara and Rahane, after the WTC final, had approached the BCCI Secretary, Jay Shah, to discuss Virat Kohli’s captaincy, particularly off the field.
“While the team took a two-week break after the WTC final, it is reliably learnt that the two batsmen dialled the secretary personally, following which the BCCI seems to have stepped in,” the reports in New Indian Express added.
“It is understood that only after these phone calls did the BCCI seek feedback from a few other players and decided to act at the end of the tour. While Kohli attributed workload management as a reason to step aside as T20 captain, it is learnt that the BCCI will now decide on his 50-over captaincy after the end of the World Cup,” the report added.
Kohli has also confirmed that this will be his last IPL season as captain of the RCB. For both the decisions, he has cited workload management as the reason.
