BCCI officials worshipped Virat Kohli more than Indian cabinet worships Narendra Modi, says Ramachandra Guha

What's the story?

In June 2017, Ramachandra Guha shocked the Board of Control for Cricket in India with his resignation from the four-member Committee of Administrators appointed by the Supreme Court to implement the Lodha panel recommendations.

On January 20, 2018, in his latest article for The Telegraph, Guha talked about Kohli's influence on the BCCI officials and how he is calling all the shots as far as the functioning of Indian cricket is concerned.

"The board's officials worshipped him even more than the Indian cabinet worships Narendra Modi. They deferred to him absolutely, even in matters like the Future Tours Programme or the management of the National Cricket Academy, which were not within the Indian captain's ken", he wrote.

"To the corruption and cronyism that has so long bedevilled Indian cricket has recently been added a third ailment; the superstar syndrome. Kohli is a great player, a great leader, but in the absence of institutional checks and balances his team will never achieve the greatness both he and his fans desire," he added.

In case you didn't know...

In his resignation letter, Guha had targeted several high-profile cricketers and their conflict of interest.

The historian also hit out at the 'superstar' culture in Indian cricket and expressed his displeasure over the unceremonious exit of Anil Kumble.

Guha believes that Kohli did not want the legendary spin bowler as the head coach because they belong to the same league as far as achievements on a cricket field are concerned and Ravi Shastri, who has no coaching experience, is far more inferior as a cricketer.

The heart of the matter

Guha, in his column "Politics and Play", heaped praise on the 29-year-old Indian skipper and his charisma but also pointed out that his arrogance and authority are helping him as a cricketer but not as a leader.

What’s next?

The Indian team, led by Kohli, is currently playing a three-match Test series in South Africa. The hosts took an unassailable 2-0 lead with the win in Centurion and the visitors will try to salvage some pride in the final Test, which will be played at the New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg from Wednesday, January 24. Tests will be followed by six ODIs and three T20Is.

Author's take

Ramachandra Guha's column has made a lot of revelations about the BCCI and its functioning but the information about the extent of Kohli's influence over the board and team management is quite shocking.

The captain should have an authority and right to make important decisions on his owbut it seems that Kohli is undisputed in his power and that might be the biggest reason behind his growing arrogance.

Hopefully, Kohli reads the column and takes it as a constructive criticism.