NEW DELHI: Former Team India selector Sarandeep Singh on Wednesday said that the appointment of Rohit Sharma as the ODI skipper was done by the selection committee and the BCCI has no role in it.
Rohit Sharma was named India's new ODI skipper last week and he takes the reins from Virat Kohli as India gear up for the South Africa series.
"It is the duty of the selection committee to select the players and appoint the captain. BCCI does not play any role in the selection process. The statements given by Virat in the press conference today were a bit shocking. Things shouldn't have gone wrong the way they did," said Sarandeep Singh.
"Personally, I feel that there should not be two captains in white-ball cricket. The things could have been handled in a more professional manner and Virat should have been informed earlier. All I want is that everything should be sorted because this can cause harm to Indian cricket," he added.
Earlier in a virtual press conference, Kohli said, "Whatever was said about the communication that happened during the decision that was made was inaccurate. I was contacted one and half hours before the selection meeting on 8th for the Test series."
"And there was no prior communication with me since I announced the T20I captaincy decision up till December 8. The chief selector discussed the Test team to which we both agreed. Before ending the call, I was told the five selectors decided that I would not be the ODI captain. To which I replied 'okay fine'," he said further.
Sarandeep further dismissed rumours regarding the rift between Rohit and Kohli and called them a 'myth'.
"Rohit and Virat both are mature players and captains. They have never raised any questions against each other and both of them know how to tackle such situations. Even if they would not be such good friends, they would still play for the country. Both the players have won so many matches for India and their combination is great," said Sarandeep Singh.