Former India batsman and chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar has revealed that BCCI’s chairman N Srinivasan was upset with his decision to select Virat Kohli in the team in place of Chennai’s Subramaniam Badrinath back in 2008. It was Vengsarkar led selection committee who handpicked the Virat after his spectacular performances in the emerging players’ tour to Australia.
As per TV journalist Rajdeep Sardesai’s latest book – Democracy XI, while other selectors wanted the seasoned First-Class batsman Badrinath but Vengsarkar had a different opinion altogether. Ultimately, then BCCI chief N. Srinivasan took the entire matter to the board president Sharad Pawar and as a result of that Vengsarkar was removed from his high-profile post.
As quoted in the book, Vengsarkar said, “When N. Srinivasan, then board treasurer and controller of Tamil Nadu cricket, found out I had dropped Badrinath for Virat, he was livid and went and complained to the board president Sharad Pawar. The next day I was removed as chairman of selectors but fortunately, they couldn’t change my decision to pick Virat.”
Even though Virat had led India to a historic U-19 World Cup triumph in 2008, his selection in the national squad was a challenging one since he got a lot of flak for living an undisciplined lifestyle. Talking about the same, Vengsarkar said, “We were being fed stories of how Virat was binge-drinking in the 2009 IPL in South Africa and was more interested in his hairstyle and tattoos than his cricket.”
The book excerpt also unveiled that India’s ace all-rounder Yuvraj Singh had supported Kohli at the start of his career and emphasized him to follow the legendary Sachin Tendulkar’s routine. Yuvi said, “I think I once told Virat quite seriously that ‘if you want to be a top-class player, don’t copy me, make Sachin your inspiration. Be disciplined like him, not carefree like me.”
Once considered as the chubby guy, Kohli has changed himself drastically. He is one of the fittest athletes in the world and is loved by masses all across the globe.
